


Strawberry Shortcake

by of_feathers_and_bowstrings



Category: Figure Skating RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe, Angst, Blood, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Romance, Supernatural - Freeform, Typical Vampire Violence, Vamp!Yuzu, Vampires, lots and lots of cake, some Shason, this is completely self-indulgent
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-20
Updated: 2019-10-03
Packaged: 2020-03-08 12:12:51
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 37,630
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18894406
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/of_feathers_and_bowstrings/pseuds/of_feathers_and_bowstrings
Summary: "You really are a vampire, huh? That's pretty neat!""Neat? I'm an actual vampire that wants to eat you and you think that's...neat?” Yuzuru looks at Javi, incredulously."I've never met a vampire before! This is exciting!"Or: the one where Javi has a crush on a cute vampire and tries to woo him with strawberry short cake.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [ForeverDoesntExist](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ForeverDoesntExist/gifts).



> Hello, friends. Here I am with a *gasp* vamp fic. It's cliche, I know. But this idea wouldn't stop bugging me so here I am with a stupid, fluffy, kinda cracky vampire au that involves lots of smitten Javi with even lots more cake. 
> 
> We'll see how this one goes. Hope you enjoy! :)

Javi finds himself staring for, perhaps, the fouth time this week alone. He lets out a dreamy sort of sigh as he looks out the window to the bookstore across the street. There, he watches as a cute Asian boy wearing a soft striped sweater and thick-rimmed glasses sits on a stool at the register, flipping through what seems to be a riveting novel. Javi can’t tell from this far what book it is, not that he would care, he’s a little busy watching those elegant fingers flip the pages of the book.

 “Staring again, Javi?” A voice startles him. He turns to see Deniss standing beside him, a cloth in hand to wipe the table Javi is currently occupying.

“Uh…”

“Yuzuru does look especially cute today.”Deniss says, grinning as he wipes the table down. “You should, you know, actually try talking to him instead of just staring?”

Javi blushes, managing a sheepish smile as he rubs at the back of his neck in embarrassment. “He seems really shy. I don’t wanna scare him off.”

“Well, you’re never going to get anywhere by just staring. Just talk to him! You can even take him a little piece of leftover cake after work.” 

Javi nods, slowly. Deniss is right. Javi has been pining over Yuzuru for the past month.They’ve maybe talked to each other a couple of times before, accidentally running into each other the street occasionally. It’s about time Javi works up the nerve to actually try to befriend him, get to know him, and hopefully, if all goes well, ask him out on a date. But baby steps first. 

Unfortunately, the plan to gift Yuzuru with some cake falls through. Javi ends up working a late night trying to finish an order of a hundred cupcakes for a party tomorrow.Stephane tries to make him go home a little earlier but it doesn’t feel right for Javi to leave him and Deniss, so he stays until all the cupcakes are done. By the end of it, he’s covered head to toe in flour and he’s got splatters of cake batter all over his clothes. He doesn’t mind it though. It’s part of the job. Yuzuru is long gone by the time he finishes. He’s a little sad that he never got the chance to speak to Yuzuru but he supposes that there’s always next time. 

It’s quiet as Javi walks back to his apartment. He doesn’t bother with driving considering that he lives so close by and the walk is under half an hour so it doesn’t really bother him. Walks help Javi clear his head, anyhow, especially on a night as clear and cool as this one. The moon is full as it hangs in the sky, casting long shadows upon the earth. Just as Javi is passing by a dark alley, he’s hit by a strong gust of wind. A piece of trash smacks him the face. He grimaces as he peels off the old paper. Suddenly, the street lamps all start flickering. _Well, that’s weird…_

Javier frowns, staring up at the light directly above him. When he looks down, he notices a boy standing a couple yards away from him. It takes a moment to register that it isn’t just any boy. It’s Yuzuru. Except, he doesn’t look the way he normally does. In fact, he barely looks like how he did just hours ago when Javi saw him last. No longer is he wearing his soft clothes. Now, he’s dressed in all blacks, his skin is a lot paler and seems to emit a faint glow, his hair is wilder, but the most striking difference is Yuzuru’s eyes, which are blood red.

_Whoa_ , Javi thinks, _how did he get such good contacts? That’s insane._ They look pretty legit, better than most of the fake contacts people wear. The way Yuzuru’s dark hair falls into his eyes makes him look mildly intimidating yet still just as pretty. Nothing unusual there. 

“Hey! Nice cosplay! Um…Yuzuru, right?” Javi grins. “Those contacts are super wicked, man. Where’d you get them?”

Yuzuru’s left eye twitches. “I’m not cosplaying and these aren’t contacts.”

“Uh…” is all Javi has time to say because in the next instant, Yuzuru is right behind him, leaning in to sniff at his neck. Javi yelps, stumbling backwards. “Whoa, whoa, what are you doing? I like you but at least give a warning before you go around sniffing me like that!”

“Look, this will go much faster if you just let me bite you. Now, hold still.” 

Javi sputters, face going red. “Bite? Can’t we at least get a drink first? Or maybe grab dinner some time before we get to the biting? Which, by the way, really kinky. I didn’t think you were into that kind of stuff. But, I’m not gonna judge you for your kinks, I mean—“

Yuzuru’s mouth twists into a snarl as he lunges at Javi. Javi dodges, easily. It goes on for a couple of minutes. They seem to be caught in a strange game of adult tag, which honestly, Javi finds himself enjoying. Eventually, Javi notices Yuzuru beginning to lose his steam and takes that as his opportunity to strike by grabbing him and pressing him against the wall, pinning his hands above his head. 

“I win!” Javi smiles, gleefully.

“What is _wrong_ with you?” Yuzuru growls, but makes minimal effort to break free from Javier’s hold. 

“Huh?” Javi is taken aback.

“I just wanted to drink some blood! I just wanted a quick bite! Just a small bite! It wouldn’t kill you!”

The lights finally stop flickering. It goes unnoticed by Javi, who gapes as he lets go of Yuzuru’s wrists in disbelief. “Blood? Are you like a vampire or something?”

“Obviously.” Yuzuru huffs. “Now, let me—Ah!”

Javi lacks serious impulse control, so he reaches out for Yuzuru’s face. Immediately, he notices how cold Yuzuru’s skin is. But that’s not what he’s curious about. He pushes his thumbs against Yuzuru’s upper lip to lift it. Rather than feeling terrified as he probably should, Javi is absolutely giddy when he sees a pair of fangs. “Whoa, you really _are_ a vampire, huh? That’s pretty neat!”

Turns out the cute boy from the bookstore is not in fact just a cute boy, but apparently a vampire. Javi is practically buzzing in excitement.

“Neat? I’m an actual vampire that wants to eat you and you think thats…neat?” Yuzuru looks at him, incredulously.

“I’ve never met a vampire before! This is exciting!”

Yuzuru snorts, smacking Javi’s hand away from his face. “Yeah, okay. Whatever.”

Sighing, Yuzuru turns to leave, looking extremely disappointed and kind of annoyed. Javi isn’t ready to let this opportunity go. Yuzuru is different than Javi expects, not that Javi had much expectations to begin with considering their interactions have been short, brief, and all too fleeting to make an accurate judgment of character. Yuzuru is a little grumpy, a little snarky, and a little broody but Javi still likes him. So, he jogs after him, keeping pace with Yuzuru despite the other very obviously trying to speed walk. “So, I don’t think I’ve properly introduced myself yet. I’m Javier. I work at the bakery and—“

“Yes, I know who you are.”

“So, you have noticed me!”

Yuzuru stops to raise a brow at Javi, looking at him as if _he_ was the ancient mythical being. “How are you so calm right now? You just found out I’m vampire and tried to suck your blood. You don’t know me. Haven’t you heard of stranger danger?”

“When I was like…six, maybe? But I know you and you know me, you said it yourself! Plus, you seem really cool and chill. I’ve always wanted to talk to you, anyway.” Javi casually drapes an arm around Yuzuru’s shoulders. “Vampire or not, I think you’re really cute.”

Yuzuru shrugs off Javi’s arm, his scowl depending. This doesn’t phase Javi as he continues to walk with the pouty vampire. “So, can you turn into a bat?” 

“No.”

“Sleep in a coffin in a creepy mansion or cemetery with cobwebs and stuff?”

“First of all, spiders are ew. Second, coffins are uncomfortable, cemeteries are gross. And why would I stay in a creepy mansion?”

“Isn’t that where most vampires live?” Javi will have to do more research on that one. 

“We definitely do not. Or I don’t.”

“Where do you live?”

Silence.

“Okay, obviously too personal. Um…if you bite me, will I turn into a vampire?”

“No.”

“Huh, well, that’s lame.” Javi pouts. He’d always assumed that vampires turn people by biting them. But he guesses that’s yet another inaccurate portrayal by Hollywood. Which, reminds him… “Do you sparkle in the sunlight?”

Yuzuru halts, turning to give him a deadpan look. “Did you seriously just ask me that? And before you ask, ‘vegetarian’ vampires aren’t a thing.”

“Well, you learn something new every day. How about—“

“Look, if I show you one of my cool powers, will you let me go home in peace?”

Javi considers it a moment. He doesn’t want to stop talking to Yuzuru now that he’s finally got this chance, but it’s getting later into the night and he can always stop by Yuzuru’s store tomorrow. So, he agrees. “Fine. Show me a cool thing."

“Okay, so—“ Yuzuru pauses, eyes going wide. “Holy shit, it’s a werewolf!”

“What? Where? Those exist, too?”

Javi jerks his head to look behind him only to find the streets empty. There’s no werewolf. “Hey, there’s nothing there—“ he frowns when he notices that Yuzuru is no longer there. Then, he realizes and his eyes are alight with excitement again. “Whoa, that’s so cool!”

And so, Javi continues on his merry way, a huge sunny smile on his face that practically lights up the entire night, with thoughts of his new friendship with Yuzuru. He intends to get to know the pretty vampire better, and maybe just maybe, get him to go on that date he’s always wanted. 

* * *

 

Yuzuru is all kinds of pissed off. After tricking Javier using the oldest trick in the book, he’d jumped inside a trash can and waited for Javier to pass before stepping outside. To think he’d gone through all that trouble. He’d spent an entire month, studying Javier, tracking his movements, his routes, figuring out his work schedule to plan for the best time to strike. Yuzuru is incredibly picky when it comes to blood. It’s been some time since he found someone that smelled so delicious. But all that planning turned out to be for nothing because in the end, he didn’t even get to eat. 

Yuzuru considers this his worst failure yet. It’s made worse when Keiji and Shoma pounce on him as soon as he gets home. They start asking questions about why it took him so long and why he smells like rotten bananas. He doesn’t have the energy to lie so he ends up telling them the truth, which turns out to be a colossal mistake because they’re assholes. 

“Oh my god!” Shoma laughs, holding onto his stomach. “I can’t believe a human bested you! YOU! You’ve lost your touch!”

“Shut up, Shrimp! It was one time!”

Keiji wipes away tears at the corners of his eyes. “Still, Yuzu, that’s pretty sad. And you just…talked to him? You didn’t even try to bite him?”

“He kept asking questions and hypnotism didn’t work! He’s like immune or something. It didn’t feel right to just…bite him.”

“Aww…look at you, being a softie.” Shoma teases, grinning all too happily. It makes Yuzuru want to take a bite out of him. He flashes his fangs as a warning. Shoma tilts his neck. “Ha! I dare you!”

Yuzuru flips him off. Shoma knows about Yuzuru’s pickiness. Vampire blood tastes disgusting anyway. Shoma’s more so since he never eats very healthy. It’s always meat, meat, meat and lots of bubble tea. “Fuck you, I’m going to bed.”

When he wakes the next morning, he finds a pouch of blood in front of his door with a sticky note attached to it. ‘ **Since you can’t seem to catch ‘em fresh, here’s a little help.’** Yuzuru rolls his eyes and tears off the tab on the plastic to grumpily suck on the pouch. It’s cold, much to Yuzuru’s distaste, the flavor less potent than fresh blood, but he’ll take it. It’s been a long time since he fed so it’ll have to do for now. Yuzuru finds Keiji puttering around downstairs in the kitchen, dressed in his usual pink apron Shoma and Yuzuru had gotten him as a joke, but took a real liking to. He’s busy preparing his typical extravagant morning breakfast. 

Yuzuru eyes the plate of pancakes on the table, a bowl of fresh berries and a tray of crispy bacon. Keiji smirks as he turns to Yuzuru after getting his morning coffee going. “So…”

“Don’t even start.” Yuzuru warns, tossing the empty pouch into the trashcan. 

“Fine, fine.” Keiji relents but never loses the spark of amusement in his eyes. “How do you want your eggs?”

“Same as always.”

“One order of sunny side up eggs coming up as per your request.” Keiji grins, cracking two eggs into the pan. 

Halfway through breakfast, Shoma finally makes his appearance at the table, hair disheveled, headset still around his neck, and wearing two different colored socks. He’s a disaster but still has the nerve to shoot Yuzuru a shit-eating grin as he takes his place at the table. Yuzuru glares at him. 

“Someone’s a grumpy little vampire this morning.” Shoma snickers. “Who is this human and how can I send him a fruit basket?”

“Fuck you.”

“Now, now, children. None of that at the table.” Keiji takes off his apron before joining them. 

They take their time eating breakfast, Shoma occasionally making smart ass comments that nearly has Yuzuru stabbing Shoma with a fork. Unfortunately, it wouldn’t do much damage since Keiji went ahead and replaced all their metal utensils with plastic ones because there was indeed a time when Shoma and Yuzuru had gotten really into and stabbed each other with their fancy metal chopsticks. Now they have to use the crappy wooden ones that Keiji swipes from the restaurants when they aren’t looking. 

Breakfast manages to stay a relatively stabbing-free affair and Yuzuru is out the door before nine for work. He’s just about to open the shop for the day when he senses a disturbance in the force. He turns and not so surprisingly, there’s Javier staring at him through the window across the street. He’s got that dopey smile on his face that makes Yuzuru’s stomach do weird things. Javier waves at him, enthusiastically. Yuzuru gives a half-hearted wave back before stepping inside the store. 

 

At some point during Yuzuru’s shift, Javier decides to stop by. He brings in a gust of wind with him that causes his scent to slam into Yuzuru like a truck. Had he been about three hundred years younger, Yuzuru would have snapped and drained every last drop of blood in Javier’s body. But, Yuzuru isn’t a young vampire anymore and he’s way past that point of careless feeding. He bears with it, offers a strained smile as Javier approaches the counter. 

“Hey, Yuzuru!” Javier greets him. 

“Hello.”

“So—“

“About last night,” Yuzuru starts, leaning across the counter to look straight into Javier’s eyes. “You should forget everything that happened. None of it was real. It was all just a dream.”

Javier laughs, waving his hand in front of Yuzuru’s face. “Ah, yes. And these are not the droids you are looking for.”

Yuzuru sighs. It seems Javier is really, truly, immune to hypnotism. It’s frustrating but it can’t be helped. 

“I brought you something!”

“Oh, you didn’t have to—“Javier cuts Yuzuru off and places a small box on the counter. Yuzuru stares down at the box, unblinking. “Um…”

Javier opens the box to show a small strawberry shortcake. Yuzuru’s favorite. How Javier knows his favorite cake, Yuzuru does not know but somehow it makes him feels slightly less irritated. “How’d you know I like strawberry shortcake?” 

“I didn’t, but now that I know, I’ll keep that in mind.” Javier winks. “Here, try some.” 

Yuzuru blinks in surprise as Javier pulls out a fork to take a piece of cake. He holds it out towards Yuzuru. Yuzuru hesitates before taking a bite. Immediately, his eyes fall shut and he can’t help but melt in delight. It’s probably the best cake he’s ever eaten. Moist, light, and perfectly sweet. 

“Truthfully, I wasn’t sure if I should bring it over. Like, I mean, do you even eat normal food?” Javier muses. 

Yuzuru presses his lips together, debating about whether or not to warrant that question with a response, but he decides that he can afford to be nice just this once. Mostly because Javier brought him cake. “We eat normal food. Blood isn’t enough to sustain us. Our bodies require regular food, too.”

Yuzuru hums in satisfaction as Javier feeds him more cake. “Do you need blood often?”

“Once every few weeks is usually enough to keep us from going crazy, but I can go a month without it.”

Yuzuru is surprised by how easily these answers are flowing out of him right now. But there’s no one in the store, it’s been a slow day, and he’s got cake. That’s all that matters.

* * *

 

Javi’s smile continues to grow as he feeds Yuzuru cake. He’s in a much better mood than he was last night and he’s glad that Yuzuru seems more relaxed now. To think all it took was some cake! Deniss was right. Javi should have done this earlier. He’ll make sure to bring more cake next time. It’s nice talking to Yuzuru like this. He looks like the soft Yuzuru that Javi first became smitten with, dressed in a soft blue cardigan, with gently tousled hair, and those adorable glasses. Though, Javi is fine with both sides of Yuzuru. 

 “What’s your favorite food?”

“Gyoza.”

“You’re not affected by garlic?”

“Definitely not. Crosses and holy water don’t work on us, either.” Yuzuru says, his lips quirked upwards in an amused smile. 

“Noted. So, if you don’t sparkle in the sunlight, does that mean you turn to ash instead?” Javi glances outside. It’s overcast, the sun hidden away behind the gray clouds.

“The sunlight doesn’t affect us as much the older we get. Our skin tends to be more sensitive during the first couple decades after we’re turned, so we tend to live some place dark while our sire tends to us.” Yuzuru opens his mouth for another forkful of cake. Javi obliges. “After the first hundred years or so, we’re able to live on our own. As long as we feed regularly, we can live as humans do.”

“You were turned then? When?”

Yuzuru pauses, looks down, before looking up at Javi with a sly smirk. “Sorry, we’re out of cake. Your questions will have to wait.”

Javi can’t help but chuckle. Okay, so it seems the only way to get to Yuzuru’s heart is through strawberry shortcake. He’ll definitely keep that mind. The smile doesn’t fall from his face as he bids Yuzuru a pleasant rest of the day along with the promise of more cake. As he returns to the bakery, he glances back at Yuzuru and sees that there’s a gentle smile playing on his lips. Javi feels a warmth spread in his chest. 

When in doubt, cake is always a great tactic in making friends and possibly scoring dates. 


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So, I guess I'm on a roll with this AU. I didn't intend to update so soon but I was inspired and wanted to write while I could! Idk what this even is but hope you enjoy!! This hasn't been edited properly but oh well! I'll come back to it later. Just wanted it out there.

“What does blood taste like to you?” Javier asks as he helps Yuzuru organize a cart of books.

It’s been a week since they had officially met and Javier has visited Yuzuru’s shop every day during his breaks. He always comes in with a sunny smile that nearly blinds Yuzuru every time he looks it, holding a box of cake. It’s not very ideal for Yuzuru to allow Javier to get this close and to let him know so much about the vampire world, but Yuzuru is a cake-lover first and a vampire second. He’ll indulge Javier as much as he wants so long as he keeps the cake coming. Because yes, it is _that_ good.

“Every human is different,” Yuzuru shrugs, “normally, the healthy ones have better tasting blood. It’s sweet and potent, gives us more energy, too. Kind of like a sugary energy drink. Keeps us well-fed, too, for longer periods of time.”

“How much do you need per feeding?”

“Not much. Nothing more than you would donate to a blood drive. We generally try to not kill our prey.”

“Have you ever killed someone you fed from?”

Yuzuru pauses for a brief second, considers telling Javier the truth but decides to just shrug it off with an slight grin. “You didn’t give me enough cake to answer that one.”

Javier visibly shudders but otherwise lets it go. “So, I know you like our cake. Is there any other foods you like besides strawberries and gyoza?”

“I like tomatoes, apples, pork cutlet bowls, and really hate paprika…“ Yuzuru wrinkles his nose in distaste. 

“Paprika? Is that a vampire thing?”

Yuzuru laughs. “No. It’s a Yuzu thing.”

Javier’s eyes are suddenly alight with something else that makes Yuzuru squirm inside. Over the course of the week, Yuzuru has managed to pick up on some of Javier’s mannerisms. The small twitches in his fingers or lips when he’s either amused or distraught. He notices the way Javier’s eyes seem to light up when Yuzuru has said something to him that he likes. It’s how he’s looking at Yuzuru now. Only Yuzuru doesn’t know what triggered it. 

“A ‘Yuzu’ thing, huh?” A soft, almost shy smile forms upon Javier’s lips. “Can I call you that? Yuzu?”

It seems like such a minuscule thing, to Yuzuru anyway. No one has ever really asked him if they could. They just did it. Javier asks him like it’s something personal, something precious and special. Yuzuru has no issue with it, so he just nods his approval. 

“Okay, Yuzu.” Javier’s smile widens. 

Yuzuru clears his throat, then starts re-organizing his book shelf in alphabetical order. Eventually, Javier leaves to go back to the bakery, but his presence lingers around Yuzuru. There’s this annoying flutter in his chest that he can’t quite shake for the rest of the day. 

 

“You know, I wasn’t going to say anything, but I can smell him all over you again.” Shoma says from the couch, Switch in hand, as Yuzuru walks through the door. 

“Yeah, well, he tends to stop by the shop pretty much every day.”

“And you still haven’t bitten him yet?” 

“No.”

Shoma looks up from his game, arching a brow. “Playing with your food much?”

Yuzuru rolls his eyes as slips off his coat, hanging it neatly on the coat rack and plopping next to Shoma on the couch. He decides to ignore the comment as he switches on the television and starts flipping through the channels. Shoma nudges him with a socked foot. “Seriously, Yuzu, what the hell?”

“He’s been really nice and he gives me cake. I don’t want to take advantage of him by biting him.” 

“And somehow letting him bring you free cake every day is not taking advantage of him?” Shoma’s eyebrows raise even higher. Yuzuru tempted to thump him in the forehead. 

“That’s his choice. It’s voluntary. Besides,” Yuzuru sighs and puts the remote down after settling on an episode of _Supernatural_ _,_ “he’s strong enough to resist my hypnotism. I’ve never fed from someone I couldn’t put in a trance.”

An amused smirk tugs at the corner of Shoma’s lips. Yuzuru’s eyes narrow. This is never a good thing when it comes to Shoma. It means he’s fully intending on be a little shit. “You like him, don’t you? You’ve got a soft spot for your little human pet.”

“He’s not my pet.” Yuzuru grits his teeth. 

“Follows you around like a stray cat.” Shoma leans in to sniff at Yuzuru, “you smell like he rubbed himself all over you, like a cat does it’s owner.”

Yuzuru growls, shoving at Shoma’s face. Shoma continues to poke and prod at Yuzuru, which only leads to Yuzuru pummeling Shoma with a pillow. It’s not long before they’re engaged in a full on pillow fight. It’s not the cheesy, stupid kind that’s seen in those teen movies, but a more violent pillow fight that could probably take off someone’s head. There’s downy feathers all over the living room now, some stuck to Yuzuru’s hair and caught in Shoma’s shirt. 

“You little shit!” Yuzuru snarls, tackling Shoma onto the couch and attempting to smother him with a pillow. 

“I only speak the truth!” 

“Fuck you!”

“What the fuck have you done to my pillows?!” Keiji growls as he steps through the front door. 

Yuzuru and Shoma immediately scramble off the couch, quickly brushing any feathers off of them and standing at full attention. It’s a known fact that one simply does not mess with Keiji’s things.He’s very particular with pretty much everything and well, he’d taken a whole decade to find these throw pillows that were both comfortable and stylish. Now they lay in tatters at their feet. 

Yuzuru bows his head, repeatedly. “Sorry, sorry. Forgive us!”

“We’ll pay you back! Get you new pillows!”

Keiji glares at the both of them, hands on his hips, and looking about ready to murder them both. He probably could and find a way to get away with it. In a panic, Yuzuru points at Shoma. “He started it! If you’re going to punish anyone, it should be him!”

“You asshole! You were the one who hit me first!”

“That’s because you were being a little shit!”

“Bitch, I—“

“Silence!” Keiji roared. Yuzuru and Shoma zipped their mouths shut. “I don’t care who started it. You’re both fucked. Clean this shit up!”

They mutter a stuttered ‘y-yes, sir’ and start picking up all the feathers and torn cloth. It doesn’t take that long between the two of them. Meanwhile, Keiji storms into the kitchen to do only God knows what. Yuzuru shudders. Keiji could be terrifying when he wants to be. At some point, Keiji comes out of the kitchen with a large bowl of something in his hand. He looks right at Shoma and shoves the bowl into his arms. “Eat it. All of it.”

Shoma looks down into the bowl, nose wrinkling in disgust when he realizes that Keiji has cut up a bunch of veggies. Shoma _hates_ veggies. It’s like his worst enemy. Yuzuru presses his lips together to prevent himself from giggling. Shoma glances up at Keiji, pleadingly. “D-do I really have to eat all of it?”

“Yes. Now.”

Shoma groans, picks up some broccoli to shove in his mouth. Keiji smiles, pleased that Shoma’s comlying with his punishment before turning to Yuzuru. “Yuzu, you should invite the human for dinner.”

“I’m sorry, what?” Yuzuru nearly chokes. Has Keiji lost his damn mind? Is this his punishment? 

“Invite your human for dinner.” 

“You want a human here? You want an overly curious human here for dinner?” Yuzuru asks in disbelief. 

“Does it look like I’m kidding?”

“Is this my punishment?” 

Keiji shrugs while inspecting the dirt beneath his fingernails. “If you think it is.”

“Wait,” Yuzuru’s eyes narrow, “when you say ‘dinner,’ you don’t mean like having _him_ for dinner, right?”

“Invite him over and find out.”Keiji winks, before heading upstairs. Yuzuru stays rooted in place with a million chaotic thoughts running through his head. 

Shoma grimaces as he munches on a couple of lettuce leaves. “Just know, if we do end up having him for dinner, I’m _so_ taking the first bite since you won’t.”

Yuzuru replies by shoving Shoma’s entire face into the veggie bowl, still battling with himself as he holds Shoma’s head down. He ignores Shoma’s failing and protests in favor of planning out various ways to get out of this without pissing off Keiji further. 

If all goes well, Javier will survive, no one will get bitten (except maybe Shoma, if he keeps pushing it), and Yuzuru will get more cake. 

* * *

 

Javi is surprised when Yuzu comes to visit him at the bakery. It’s a break in their usual routine but he can’t say he’s disappointed. It’s nice having Yuzu being the one to approach him first. He looks especially adorable today, dressed in skinny jeans and a white knit sweater. The sleeves are so long and baggy they cover his hands. Javi has to suppress the urge to hug him.

“Hey, Yuzu! Welcome!” Javi beams, leaning over the counter. “What’s up?”

Yuzu looks uncharacteristically shy. He refuses to meet Javi’s eyes and there’s a light pinkish hue dusting his cheeks. Yuzu starts fiddling with his fingers, swaying slightly. 

“Are you okay? Did something happen?” Javi steps out from behind the counter to cross the space between them. He place this hands gently on Yuzu’s shoulders. “Yuzu?”

“Um…it’s nothing bad, I don’t think. But, you see,” Yuzu winces, “you’ve kind of been invited to dinner.”

“Dinner?”

“Yeah. Uh, my housemate invited you over tonight.”

Javi has heard little to nothing about Yuzu’s housemates. So, it’s a little bit of a surprise for the sudden invitation. But it also stirs something up inside of him at the thought that Yuzu talks about him at home. 

“You can say no,” Yuzu says, now looking Javi directly in the eyes, “you can definitely say no. You can reject the offer and I can go tell him to fu—I mean, I can let him know you can’t make it.”

Javi takes a moment to consider it. It’s always a huge step meeting the family. He and Yuzu haven’t known each other long, have only just begun their friendship but it seems like it could help in the long-run, you know, once Javi gets around to asking Yuzu out properly. Javi has gathered enough information to know that Yuzu doesn’t have his immediate family around anymore, so this is the closest thing he has. Javi wants to make a good impression. He can see Yuzu pleading with his eyes, so obviously, he can’t possibly refuse! 

“Sure!” Javi says, enthusiastically, “I’d be happy to join you for dinner.”

“O-oh! You sure? I mean,”Yuzu looks around before leaning in to whisper, “it is a house full of vampires. I don’t want you to be uncomfortable.” 

Javiabsolutely melts at Yuzu’s concern for him. “I’m sure it’ll be fine. Besides, you chose to live with them, right? So, they must be good people. I trust your judgement.” 

“Ha ha ha. Yeah, they’re great people.” 

Javi notices Yuzu’s eye twitching and reaches up to touch him. “Are you okay?”

“Fine! I’m completely fine!”

“Don’t worry. It’ll be okay. I’ll even bring cake!”

Yuzu visibly perks up at the mention of cake and Javi can’t help but smile fondly. Sometimes, Yuzu is easy to please. Keep him fed with delicious cake and he’s happy, which makes Javi happy. 

“I’ll, uh, stop by after work to pick you up, I guess.” Yuzu takes slow steps back, making finger gun gestures that Javi finds ridiculous but also adorable (yes, he’s _that_ whipped). “Bye!”

Javi waves as Yuzu scurries back to the bookstore. He then gets back to work on decorating a bunch of sugar cookies, all with a stupid smile on his face. 

 

 

 Yuzu comes to pick him up from the store half past seven. He’s got a long red-knit scarf wrapped around him, a cream-colored beanie on top of his head. Javi feels his heart beat faster and wonders if Yuzu can hear it. If he can, he makes no mention of it, remaining ever silent as they wait at the bus stop.

“So, anything I should know about your housemates before I meet them? What are they like?” Javi asks. 

“They drive me insane. I want to toss them both out of a window some days. Keiji has hidden all of our metal utensils so we can’t stab each other…”

“Um…”

Yuzu sighs, reaching up to fiddle with his scarf. “Truthfully, though, as crazy as they are and despite how much they get under my skin, I care about them. They helped me through a lot and they’re dependable people when it counts.”

“I’m glad you found others that can take care of you.” Javi bravely breaches their unspoken boundaries to take Yuzu’s hand in his. “I’m glad you have good people in your life.”

Despite the small smile Yuzu gives him, Javi can see the genuine care in his eyes. It gives him all the reassurance that this was a good choice. The bus ride to Yuzu’s house is a quiet one that Javi doesn’t mind. He’s content to just sit beside Yuzu and watch as he stares out the window, watching Javi through the reflection in the glass. There’s this growing tension between them that Javi can feel as they stare at each other. But then Yuzu gets up as they approach the next stop and the spell is broken. Javi follows after him. 

Yuzu’s house is nothing like Javi expects. He’d expected something old, despite Yuzu’s claim that they don’t live in a creepy mansion. But the house looks to be in great condition; it’s a modern house with large glass windows, walls made of concrete and brick. The lawn out front is cleanly trimmed, a lush, healthy green. Just outside on both sides of the front door are two large vases of bamboo. It’s a gorgeous home, comfortable and warm in appearance. Yuzu pauses at the front door, hand on the door knob, “Prepare yourself.” He mutters.

Javi takes Yuzu’s hand again, giving it a small squeeze. “It’ll be okay.”

“So you say.”

Yuzu opens the door to lead Javi inside, announcing that he’s home. It’s as spacious inside as it looks on the outside. Decorated in white and black furniture. There are two saloon doors that lead to what Javi assumes is the kitchen and dining room. “Welcome home!” A boy around Yuzu’s age steps out to greet them.

“I brought him over as you requested.” Yuzu tugs Javi further inside. “Javier, this is Keiji. Keiji, this is Javier.”

“Hi, nice to meet you. Thanks for inviting me over.” Javi lifts his hand for a handshake. Keiji takes it, shaking it firmly.

“We’re happy to have you. It’s been a long time since Yuzu’s made any friends. Much less a human friend. Come, come. Dinner is nearly ready.” Keiji gestures for them to follow him into the kitchen, where Javi sees another boy cutting up a head of lettuce, “Shoma’s just finishing prepping the veggies. Shoma, our guest is here.”

Shoma turns, raising his knife to wave at Javi with a grin. “Hello, human. Welcome to our home.”

“Hey, thanks for having me. I, uh, brought cake!”

“Yuzu has told us all about your wonderful cakes.” Keiji takes the box of cake from Javi to put in the refrigerator. “We’re glad we finally get to try some.”

Dinner is a comfortable affair with the four of them. Javi refrains from asking any vampire questions, wanting to keep the light atmosphere. Yuzu doesn’t talk much despite how Shoma and Keiji seem to prod him for responses. He doesn’t give them anything more than grunts and one word answers. 

“So, Javier,” Keiji props himself on his elbows as he leans against the table, “has Yuzu told you any stories of the old times yet?”

“No, not really.”

“Well, first thing you should know is that he has horrible tolerance when it comes to alcohol so he gets drunk pretty easily.”

Yuzu stabs his broccoli with his plastic fork, violently. 

“Yuzu is so much fun when he’s drunk.” Shoma chimes in. “He loves to play and dance. I remember this one time we went to a club, he had like maybe two drinks, and suddenly he’s dancing on the table.”

Javi nearly spits out his water. He tries to imagine it. A drunk Yuzu, loose and uninhibited, dancing wildly on a table. It makes him kind of want to see that. Yuzu is always so carefully composed. Javi wants to know Yuzu when he lets go and has fun. 

“All those cat calls! At some point, Yuzu started stripping—“

Javi’s wholesome thoughts come screeching to a halt. He glances at Yuzu whose face has gone bright red. The blood in Javi’s veins starts pumping faster, hotter. The images that flood Javi’s mind are definitely not suited for the dinner table. Certainly not suited for dinner with Yuzu’s family. He gulps down the rest of his water to calm down. 

“See, you’re thinking it’s sexy but it was honestly just really embarrassing.” Keiji chuckles. “Drunk Yuzu is also really uncoordinated, so he couldn’t even take off his own shirt. He got so frustrated that he started crying and just…plopped down right in the middle of the table.”

Now, that bring backs Javi’s laughter. Yuzu grumbles something beside him and Javi nudges him playfully. It’s nice knowing that Yuzu can be silly. All it takes is some alcohol apparently. But, Javi also wants to know if he can make that happen without the alcohol. He just wants to make Yuzu laugh and smile. Make him let go a little. 

The rest of dinner is spent with Shoma and Keiji dishing out all of Yuzu’s embarrassing moments. Javi doesn’t think they’re too bad. He’s certain he’s done the same if not worse things while drunk or even while sober during his teen and collage years. Learning all these things just makes Javi’s affection for Yuzu grow just that much more. They wind down eventually and Keiji brings out Javi’s cake. Javi made sure that Stephane added extra strawberries on top. 

Yuzu is suddenly in a much better mood now that he has his cake. He digs into his slice with gusto, humming in satisfaction with every bite. He does this cute thing where he wiggles in his seat like a happy child. Javi knows then and there that’d he give Yuzu all the cake in the world if it means seeing him like this. 

Javi helps with cleaning up before deciding that he’d better go. He doesn’t know if vampires need sleep but he sure does if he wants to survive the long twelve hour shift tomorrow. As Javi is gathering his coat, Keiji approaches him. Yuzu is in the kitchen putting dishes away with Shoma. 

“Thanks again for having me over.” Javi says, reaching out for a parting handshake. 

Keiji takes it. “Truthfully, I invited you here so mess with Yuzu for being a pest. But you’re a good man and I don’t want to scare you off.”

“I don’t scare that easily.” Javi chuckles.

“Good,” Keiji smiles, “you’re good for him. He can be a lot to handle but he’s worth it.”

“He is.”

Keiji looks serious all of a sudden. He never loses his smile, but Javi can see the shift in his eyes. “Please take care of him.”

Javi can feel the weight of those words, but he’d already decided from their first meeting that he would. Maybe they’re friendship is still a little fresh but Javi knows in his heart that he’ll always cherish Yuzu, no matter where this friendship goes. 

Yuzu huffs as he meets them in the living room. “Keiji, Shoma’s refusing to help with the dishes again.”

Keiji rolls his eyes, giving Javi a long, hard look. “They’re pests, I tell you.”

Then, he goes off the kitchen to presumably scold Shoma. Yuzu nods at Javi. “Ready to go?”

“Yeah, it’s getting late.”

Yuzu nods again, grabbing his scarf from the rack. Javi follows him outside. Their breath mists out in front of them as they walk. Yuzu has gone back to being shy again, keeping his head down.

“I had a great time tonight.” Javi says, softly, “you were probably expecting me to run out screaming, right?”

“Honestly, I thought I’d be the one to go running.” 

“Your family is great. They’re good people. And now I know your weakness.” Javi grins. 

Yuzu groans. “I can’t believe they told you that!”

“Hey, that’s just what family does. Vampire or not."

“I kind of thought Keiji had something worse planned…”

“Why?”

“Shoma and I kind of got into a pillow fight and totally wrecked his pillows. So, he punished Shoma by forcing him to eat veggies. He told me to invite you, so I expected the worst.”

“Well, I’m glad it didn’t turn out that way, then.” 

“I’m also glad we didn’t end up having you for dinner.”

Javi laughs, startled. Yuzu manages a smile this time, too. The tension in his body eases. Once they make it to the bus stop, Javi turns to face Yuzu. Yuzu’s eyes are bright, the tip of his nose is pink, and his cheeks are nice and rosy. He's so beautiful. Javi carefully lifts his hands to rearrange Yuzu’s scarf, making sure he’s properly wrapped up, then tugs the scarf a little, pulling Yuzu closer. “Well, just know that I wouldn’t mind if _you_ wanted me for dinner.” Javi whispers, lowly. 

Yuzu’s lips curve upwards, his fangs growing in to peak beneath his upper lip, as he smirks. “Don’t tempt me.”

It’s late, Javi’s brain is a little fuzzy as it always is during this time of the night, but despite only meaning to tease, the thought of Yuzu biting him really doesn’t seem all that appalling. He still thinks about it on the bus ride back to his apartment, and even long after he gets home. As he settles in bed, he takes out a notebook from his bedside drawer, something he started after meeting Yuzu that acts as a diary of sorts. There’s a small section dedicated to vampire notes and a majority of it dedicated to just Yuzu. Javi writes down all the things he learned tonight, then writes in a note at the bottom of the page: **Bring Yuzu extra strawberry shortcake. Ask him if he wants a bite.**

Javi doesn’t know if there’s some sort of ettiequte to these kinds of things. Yuzu hasn’t tried to bite him since their first meeting. Javi had stopped him, then. Now, though, Javi is a little curious. And Javi is known to always pursue his curiosities. 


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, guys! Apologies for the delay in this update. I struggled a bit with writer's block so this might actually be trash. Lol. 
> 
> Looks like this thing may actually have some plot, after all. Please keep track of the tags. Will be updating as we go along. 
> 
> Enjoy!

Yuzuru wakes to the sound of shuffling, loud thudding, and low mutterings. He cracks one eye open, checks the clock on the wall, and groans. It’s barely even seven in the morning. It’s too early to be awake on a Saturday. Yuzuru silently curses Keiji. Unable to fall back asleep, Yuzuru grumpily gets out of bed, throws the door open, and stalks downstairs, murderous glare in place as he approaches the kitchen.

“Keiji, what the fuck—“ Yuzuru freezes, then brings his hands up to rub his eyes. He smacks himself in the face for extra measure but it still doesn’t shake the image before him. It’s not Keiji in the kitchen. It’s Shoma. Awake before noon. Cleaning. There’s so many things wrong with this picture. “Have we been teleported to an alternative dimension?”

“No, dumbass,” Shoma glares at him from where he’s subbing the kitchen sink, “stop standing there being useless and sweep the floor.”

Yuzuru rolls his eyes but does as he’s told. It’s too early to pick a fight. He grabs the broom from the closet and starts sweeping. He watches in silence as Shoma moves onto dusting the cabinets. This all feels very surreal. Shoma has never enjoyed cleaning and tends to be the one to make majority of the messes which always drives Keiji insane.

“By the way,” Shoma clears his throat, “I need you or Keiji to stop by the grocery store to pick up some meat platters. A couple of steaks, too. Maybe some other stuff…”

“Steak? Meat platters? Why do you need—“ Realization dawns on Yuzuru then, and he narrows his eyes at Shoma. “You never get like this unless…”

Shoma refuses to look at him.

“Don’t tell me,” Yuzuru grins as he leans against the counter,” our favorite little wolf is coming for a visit?”

Shoma’s cheeks instantly turn bright red. _Bingo!_ Yuzuru’s smile widens. Shoma’s feelings for a certain werewolf isn’t much of a secret. This mutual pining thing has been going on for several decades. Honestly, there’s so much tension between them it’s a wonder they haven’t snapped. Yuzuru doesn’t quite understand the attraction but it’s there regardless.

“So,” Yuzuru puts the broom away and starts wiping down the counters, “when is he coming?”

“Tonight. He’s coming for dinner. And he’s staying for a while.”

“Is he bringing the pack this time or is it just him?”

“Just him.”

“Good,” Yuzuru huffs, remembering the rowdy pack of mutts he met years ago, “that pack of his is a mess.”

Shoma nods in agreement.

“Are my eyes deceiving me or are you two actually cleaning together?” Keiji raises a brow as he strides into the kitchen to get his morning coffee going. “Who are you both and what have you done with my friends?”

“Shoma’s puppy is coming to play.” Yuzuru snickers.

“Fuck you! You have no room to talk. You and your human pet.”

“You should invite Javi, Yuzu.” Keiji throws out casually.

Yuzuru shrugs. At this point in time, Javi’s visits have been frequent enough that he doesn’t really need an invitation anymore. He’s spent many dinners and meals at their home. Knowing Javi, he’d probably enjoy meeting another supernatural being. Yuzuru doesn’t know if he wants that much excitement in the house, what with Jason being an actual hyperactive puppy.

“Yeah, invite him. Jason could use a new chew toy since you won’t take a bite out of that snack.”

“For the last time, Javi isn’t food. He’s a friend and—“

“Oh, are we finally at the friend stage?” Keiji claps, happily. “Progress! I’m proud of you, Yuzu!”

Yuzuru gives him a not so kind hand gesture. “Look, he brings me treats, comes over every other day, and his presence is generally pleasant. He’s good company, that’s all.”

“You hear that, Keiji? Yuzu’s gone all soft on us.”

Yuzuru picks up a pencil and throws it at Shoma. Shoma yelps as the pencil whizzes past his head and embeds itself in the wall behind him. Shoma glares, pulls out the pencil and flings it back at Yuzuru. Yuzuru catches it easily with a smirk. “What was that about being soft?”

Shoma sticks his tongue out and Yuzuru snorts. The atmosphere in the kitchen lightens somewhat, eases the tension in Shoma’s body, pulled so tight it looks like he’ll break. His shoulders relax as does the anxious tick in his jaw. For all of Yuzuru’s teasing, he knows how important Jason is to Shoma. 

Eventually, the kitchen gets done and the three of them agree to take different sections of the house to clean. Yuzuru gets the living room which isn’t all that hard to clean. He vacuums the rugs, wipes down the wooden flooring, dusts their television, their bookshelves, and cleans up their fireplace. With his portion done, he offers to run to the store. Keiji ends up making a list of ingredients for tonight, containing mostly meat. Yuzuru raises a brow, knowing how Keiji likes to keep things more balanced. 

“It’s for Jason. He’s our special guest. We haven’t seen him in a while. He deserves to be spoiled a little.”

Shoma doesn’t protest to that, because of course he doesn’t. 

_Poor smitten fool,_ Yuzuru shakes his head and takes the list. He wraps himself in a soft blue knit scarf before going along his way. 

 

 

Yuzuru takes his time at the store, ventures down the aisles at a leisure pace. He’s in no hurry. There’s still plenty of time before Jason’s visit and Shoma can stand to be more patient. He checks the items off Keiji’s list one by one, tossing everything he needs into the cart. He’s placing the last of the meat trays into the cart when he catches Javi’s distinct sugary scent—almost overwhelmingly sweet. It’s so unlike Javi’s artificial scent—a bit minty, a bit herbal—created by cologne and his shampoo. His feet move on their own. As he turns the corner, he spots Javi inspecting a container of strawberries. As if knowing Yuzuru is there, he turns and his eyes immediately fall upon Yuzuru. Yuzuru’s heart skips a beat as a slow smile dawns on Javi’s face. “Yuzu!” Javi places the container in his basket and waves happily.

“Hey, Javi.”

“Didn’t expect to see you shopping here.” Javi glances at the items in Yuzuru’s cart, “You planning a feast or something? That’s a lot of meat.”

“Shoma’s boyfriend is coming to visit.” 

“Boyfriend?”

“Well, sort of boyfriend,” Yuzuru shrugs, “future boyfriend, I guess.”

“Cute.”

“He’s a sweet puppy.”

“Puppy?”

Yuzuru leans in to whisper. “Werewolf.”

“Oh,” Javi’s eyes widen, that special spark igniting in his eyes,”those are real, too?”

“Yes. And Shoma been after this one since they met decades ago. It’d be hilarious if it wasn’t so ridiculous.”

Yuzuru starts browsing through the produce section. He picks up a couple of lettuce heads, a few bags of green beans, and bag of brussel sprouts. All things Shoma hates. Javi seems to pick up on his intentions and bags some broccoli for him. Yuzuru smiles. “Thanks.”

“I probably shouldn’t enable you,” Javi says as he grabs a few carrots to put in the cart, “but I’ve already signed up to be your loyal partner in crime.”

“Because feeding Shoma veggies is such a crime.”

“It is if it’s Shoma.”

The two look at each other before breaking into soft, silly giggles. Yuzuru finishes the rest of Keiji’s list much faster with Javi helping. When they get to the front of the store, they end up arguing over a couple boxes of chocolate. 

“Obviously, we have to get the soft centers. It’s the only way to go.”

“How about nuts and caramels?”

“Gross.”

“Gross? Nuts and caramels is a great choice!”

“Is that a human trait? Having bad taste in chocolates?”

“Hey, hey, it’s not bad! Way better than your mushy chocolate.”

“Excuse you, they’re delicious.”

“I work in a bakery. I know sweets. I know what’s good.”

Yuzuru scoffs and ends up choosing a heart-shaped box. “You know what, we’ll have to agree to disagree. We’ll go with the assorted pack.”

Chocolate predicament solved, they leave the store peacefully. Javi ends up giving Yuzuru a ride home. Yuzuru initially tries to protest considering he’s very capable of taking the bus, but relents anyway. Yuzuru has learned that it’s best to let Javi win sometimes. He can be extremely persistent when he wants to be. More than Yuzuru himself if he sets his mind to it. 

“So, what’s this guy like anyway? Shoma’s to-be boyfriend?”

“He’s a good man. Very happy all the time.” Yuzuru smiles, fondly. “He’s a good friend. Very loyal and caring. A pretty stark contrast to his pack.”

“Is his pack evil or something?”

“No,” Yuzuru sighs, heavily, “just a lot of internal conflict. It’s a very large pack. Lots of egos. Lots of wanna-be alphas.”

“I was wondering, you seem pretty casual about the wolves. Does this mean the whole bitter feud between your races is a lie, too?”

“I mean, it’s not all rainbows and pixie dusts, but we’re civil enough.”

“Do they really transform during the full moon?”

Yuzuru can hear the excitement in Javi’s voice. He’s always so eager to learn more about Yuzuru’s world. As is the case with most humans, but Yuzuru has come to find Javi’s interest and questions endearing. 

“Not really. They can control it after the initial change. Kind of the same way we control our instincts. They can choose when to turn it on or off. The full moon just sort of gets them drunk.”

“Drunk?”

“Yeah, for whatever reason, the full moon lowers their inhibitions. Makes them a little crazy. More animal than human.”

“Well, then I guess it’s a good thing he’s not coming over during a full moon?”

Yuzuru smirks. “Who knows? Shoma might like it that way.”

Javi breaks into laughter as he pulls into the driveway. Yuzuru laughs along with him because Javi’s laughter is infectious. They’re still a pair of giggling idiots as they unload all the groceries. 

“Hey, Javi! You two seem in a good mood.” Keiji greets him at the door, taking the bags from him.

“Yuzu was just telling me something funny.”

“Yuzu? Funny? Doesn’t sound like him.” Shoma says from where he’s lounging on the couch, texting on his phone.

“I was just telling him about how you might be into a moon-drunk Jason.”

Shoma blushes furiously, unable to even look up from his phone. Yuzuru considers this a win. Keiji comes back to grab the rest of the groceries. “You gonna stay for dinner, Javi?” 

“I wish.” Javi says, honestly, “Unfortunately, I have to help at the bakery today. We have a huge wedding order to take care of.”

Yuzuru feels the slightest bit disappointed but he shakes it off. It’s probably for the best anyway. Less chaos at the dinner table.

“Ah, well, you can always stop by later for dessert.” Keiji smiles, heading off to put the groceries away.

“Speaking of dessert,” Javi grabs Yuzuru’s hand, “I have this new cake recipe I want to try out.”

“Yeah?”

“Would you mind if I steal you away later?”

“Depends,” Yuzuru can’t stop staring at their hands. He notices that Javi’s fingers are thicker than his, longer, but they fit nicely with his own, “what kind of cake is it?” 

“It’s a surprise.”

Yuzuru pouts. “Now I’ll be thinking about it all throughout dinner.”

“For what it’s worth,” Javi pulls Yuzuru closer, causing Yuzuru to make a weird, high-pitched squeaky noise,” I don’t mind if you spend an evening thinking about me.”

Yuzuru snorts, punching Javi’s chest lightly. “That was so cheesy.”

“And here I thought I was being suave.”

“Your human charms don’t work on me, I’m afraid.”

“I guess that means I have to try a little harder then.”

“For fuck’s sake,” Shoma grumbles as he shoves through them, breaking them apart, “get a room, please.”

“Hm, is that what you and Jason are doing later tonight?”

Shoma growls, picking up a pen from table beside the couch to throw at him. Yuzuru catches it, twirls it between his fingers, flashing a playful wink at Javi. Javi just laughs, bringing a hand up to cup Yuzuru’s cheek. “I gotta go. But I’ll see you tonight?”

Yuzuru’s lips curve upwards into a soft smile. “Sure. But only because I want cake.”

“Of course, of course.” Javi steps in to kiss Yuzuru’s forehead before turning to leave. He calls out a goodbye to Keiji before stepping out. 

Yuzuru stands there staring at the door for a good solid minute. He’s gotten better at handling Javi’s touchiness, enjoys it sometimes— he’ll never admit that one—but this is new. His skin tingles where Javi kissed him, makes his cheeks heat up, and makes his blood pump just a little faster.

“Yuzu, help me in the kitchen!” Keiji calls out.

“Y-yeah!” Yuzuru grimaces at the way his voice cracks. He pushes the weird feelings aside. He can deal with them later.

* * *

A knock comes to the door around six. They’ve just finished laying out the meat trays. Shoma immediately stands from his seat and rushes to the front door to greet their guest. Yuzuru flashes Keiji an amused look. Keiji chuckles, shaking his head.

“Shoma!” They hear from the kitchen, followed by a loud crash.

Yuzuru walks out to find the both of them sprawled out on the floor, Jason hugging the daylights out of Shoma, who’s much too flustered to do anything but hug back. He watches them roll around on the floor like the idiots they are before clearing his throat, making his presence known.

Jason instantly stands, pulling Shoma up with him. They’re still wrapped around each other and Yuzuru is so tempted to make a comment but he bites his tongue. He’ll let this one slide for now. “Yuzu! Good to see you again!”

“Good to see you, too. I’m glad you made it safely.” Yuzuru smiles, keeping a respectful distance because he really does not want to get in the middle of their weird cuddling. “How’s the pack?”

“Oh,” Jason rolls his eyes,” the same as usual. We got a new wolf. He’s kind of a handful. Refuses to listen to any of us. Nathan’s doing all he can as alpha, but he’s young and no one listens.”

“Not surprised,” Yuzuru turns to go back to the kitchen, “dinner’s ready. Join us when you two are done doing whatever you’re doing.”

 

 Jason and Shoma join them at the table not long after. Yuzuru doesn’t know what happened between them but Shoma looks a little too smug, despite his face still being red. Jason looks so happy he’s practically glowing. Yuzuru notices the way they seem to keep touching each other any chance they get, the way Shoma’s fingers brush against Jason’s as he passes him a plate, or the way they keep staring at each other. Keiji notices him noticing them and subtly elbows him under the table. Neither of them say anything, though.

At some point, Yuzuru’s phone vibrates with an incoming text. It’s from Javi.

**From Javi:**

**I’ll be done in about half an hour. If it’s not too late, you still up for dessert?**

Yuzuru’s lips twitch as he types back a reply.

**To Javi:**

**As if I’d pass up a chance of cake. I’ll see you soon.**

**From Javi:**

** <3**

Yuzuru coughs and quickly stuffs his phone in his pocket. _Stupid, stupid feelings_. There’s this annoying flutter in his chest he wishes would just go away. But it never quite goes away when it comes to anything involving Javi.

“Is that Javi?” Keiji asks, startling Yuzuru.

“Yeah, he wants to meet for dessert.”

“Is he taking you out for dessert or _having_ you for dessert?” Shoma’s back to being a little shit.

“Shut up.”

“Who’s Javi?” Jason asks.

“Yuzu’s walking blood bag.”

“Ah, that’s who I was smelling.” Jason nods to himself. “Are you two in a relationship? Congrats—“

“No, no.” Yuzuru says, quickly. “We aren’t. Javi is a friend. That’s all.”

“Somehow I don’t believe you.”

Yuzuru rolls his eyes. “Believe what you want. He’s a friend. He’s flirty with everyone, honestly. I’m not special.”

Keiji coughs, muttering something low under his breath that sounds suspiciously like ‘liar.’ But Yuzuru chooses to ignore him in favor of finishing up the rest of his dinner. He helps Keiji clear the table while Jason fills them in on what’s been going. Yuzuru will never understand werewolf politicks or rather, he’ll never understand Jason’s pack and their messy way of handling things. 

As he’s putting away the last of the dinner plates, his phone vibrates again. 

**From Javi:**

**Done! I can come pick you up?**

**To Javi:**

**No need. I’ll come to you.**

“I have to head out,” Yuzuru announces, “don’t wait up for me.”

Keiji waves him off with a cheeky smile that Yuzuru chooses not to comment on. Shoma, who’s practically sitting Jason’s lap, gives him a thumbs up and a little wink. Yuzuru decides to ignore that, too. He makes quick work of getting dressed, tugs his beanie on his head, and calls out a ‘goodbye.’ 

“Have fun, Yuzu!” Jason waves enthusiastically.

“Be safe! Make sure to use protect—“ Yuzuru slams the door before Shoma can finish his sentence. 

He takes a deep breath, steadying himself, before heading on his way. It doesn’t take long to reach the bakery. He peers through the glass window to find Javi stirring some cake batter. Yuzuru spots an open tray of strawberries on the side, which he assumes Javi will be using for the cake. Slowly, he pushes the door open. The bell chimes from above his head.

Javi lifts his head, his gaze warm and inviting. He gestures for Yuzuru to come behind the counter. Yuzuru has to remind himself to breathe as he steps up beside Javi. “Hey, you look cute.” Javi plays with the puffy ball on top of his beanie. 

Yuzuru pokes at Javi’s stomach with a whine. “You said you have a surprise for me. What is it?”

Javi chuckles. “Yes, yes. I’m making it now. It’s something a little different but I figured since it’s strawberry, you’ll like it anyway.”

“What is it?” 

“Strawberry crepe cake! I saw a video on Youtube and thought about trying it out myself.” Javi takes out his phone to pull up a picture of it. Yuzuru admits that it actually looks really delicious and if it’s anything like Javi’s strawberry shortcake, he’s sure this one will taste just as divine. 

Yuzuru watches in silence as Javi works. He takes pleasure in listening to the sounds of Javi’s stirring, the satisfying sizzle the batter makes as Javi pours it into a medium sized pan. It’s almost hypnotizing, the way Javi flips the crepe skins, how meticulous Javi is when it comes to spreading the cream and placing the neatly cut strawberries. Yuzuru’s mouth waters as Javi finishes up the last layer of the cake, and adds some crushed dried strawberries on top. Anticipation curls in his gut. 

“Since this is a trial run, I’ll probably have to tweak some things up,” Javi cuts a slice to put on a plastic plate. He hands it to Yuzuru with a grin,“as my official cake tester, please give me all your constructive criticism.”

Yuzuru takes a bite and nearly melts. Despite what Javi said about being a trial run, it’s already good. It’s light despite being coated in whipped cream, the strawberries juicy and sweet as always. Yuzuru hums in delight, swaying back and forth.

Javi smiles, “That good, huh?”

“It’s amazing.” 

“Good enough to put on our menu?”

“Definitely!” Yuzuru moans as he takes another bite. “You must have some kind of magical abilities. How do you make your cakes so good?”

“What, you’ve never had cake this good before?”

Yuzuru shakes his head. “Never.”

Javi’s face lights up, pleased himself. He then boxes the rest of cake to put away in the refrigerator. “Now that that’s out of the way, how about I make you your favorite? To take home?”

Yuzuru nods, happily. He’ll take all the cake Javi can give. He considers for a moment of getting a mini fridge for himself to keep in his room so that he can keep the cake for himself. The past few times, Shoma and Keiji made quick work of Javi’s cakes. 

“Great,” Javi gets out a clean bowl, “you can help me!”

Yuzuru’s smile drops. He doesn’t bake, barely knows how to cook anything without setting something on fire. Keiji doesn’t really trust him in the kitchen after almost burning their house down once trying to make popcorn. He doesn’t know how this baking thing will go. Probably not well considering his history. Still, Javi insists, gestures for Yuzuru to remove his hat and scarf. Yuzuru does so, lays them down on a table, and then rolls up the sleeves of his sweater. Javi hands him a cute pink apron.Yuzuru puts it on even though he knows he probably looks ridiculous.

Javi guides him through the baking process, being as patient as ever even as Yuzuru nearly spills a whole package of flour. Yuzuru grimaces when he gets some egg shells in the yolk but Javi scoops them out, reassuring him that he’s doing a great job. Yuzuru thinks Javi is just being nice. He bites his lip as he concentrates on Javi’s instructions, making sure to follow the rest perfectly without any mishaps. 

Javi takes out a couple of strawberries and starts cutting them up as Yuzuru sets the cake in the oven. “Oh, hey, you got something on your face.” Javi points at his nose.

Yuzuru goes cross-eyed trying to see and brings his hand up to wipe his face. “Did I get it?”

“Here, let me help you,” Javi sneakily dips his fingers in flour and taps Yuzuru’s nose, “there we go! All better!”

Yuzuru whines. “Javi!”

Javi laughs as he retreats from Yuzuru’s grabby hands. Yuzuru picks up a handful of flower and chases after Javi to dump some on his head. Javi shakes out his hair with a grin, flour falling all over his eyebrows and lashes. “Alright, alright.” Javi mutters, grabbing fistfuls of flour.

Yuzuru shrieks as Javi comes after him again. He dodges him, making a grab at the bag of flour to retaliate. The two chase each other around the bakery, getting flour everywhere. Yuzuru giggles when he manages to slap some all over Javi’s face. “Oh, that’s it!” Javi dips his hands in the leftover cake batter. 

Yuzuru grabs Javi’s wrists, holding him back from getting icky cake batter all over him. It’s then that Yuzuru learns that flour is slippery as he goes tumbling down, taking Javi with him. They end up a laughing, flour-coated heap on the floor. Yuzuru sits up to straddle Javi’s hips, pinning his hands against the ground. Javi is an absolute mess, covered head to toe in white powder. Yuzuru isn’t in much better shape than he is but he still considers this his win anyway. 

“I win!” Yuzuru announces cheerfully.

Javi snorts. “And how exactly did you come to that conclusion?”

“Well, for starters, I’ve got you pinned.” Yuzuru tightens his grip. “And well, because I said so.”

“Uh-huh. Of course.”

“You’ve got so much flour in your hair.” Yuzuru let's go of one hand to ruffle Javi’s hair, shaking out the flour. It doesn’t do much. 

“You do, too.”

Javi lifts a hand to pick out the flour bits in Yuzuru’s hair. There’s a sudden shift in the air as Javi’s fingers brush against Yuzuru’s cheek. The air turns thick, heavy with tension when Javi touches more firmly, skimming his knuckles against Yuzuru’s jaw. Yuzuru shudders. There’s a moment where Yuzuru’s senses completely hone in on everything Javi. He can hear Javi’s pulse race, beating faster and faster. He can feel almost feel Javi’s blood rushing through his veins in his own. As if being pulled by a magnetic force, Yuzuru leans in. He hears Javi’s breath hitch, can almost taste his breath. 

There’s this rising heat curling in his gut, a startling hunger Yuzuru’s never experienced before. His instincts scream at him to _do something_ but Yuzuru keeps a steady grasp on his sanity. He flinches when Javi brushes his thumbs just beneath his eyes. “Beautiful…” He whispers, softly. 

Yuzuru leans in closer, so close his lips just barely graze against Javi’s. And then the oven timer goes off and they jerk apart. Yuzuru blinks, trying to dispel whatever the hell just happened. He feels like he’s just coming out of being hypnotized. Everything is still a bit fuzzy at the edges, his senses are oversensitive, and he kind of feels like he’s floating underwater. He barely registers Javi getting up to get the cake. He turns his head to catch a glance at his reflection. His eyes are a deep red, a red they normally only turn when he’s hungry. 

_Shit_! Yuzuru squeezes his eyes shut, curls his hands against his lap, and breathes, forcing himself to calm down. There’s a tell-tale burning sensation in his throat and he can feel the sharpness of his fangs in his mouth. _Shit, shit, shit!_ He tries to slip into a calmer headspace, tries to rid himself of any and all thoughts he’d rather not let see the light of day. He takes a couple more breaths, until his fangs recede, until the burning stops, and Yuzuru feels more in control of himself. 

Javi comes back with a slice of cake. On the outside, he seems unaffected by what just happened but Yuzuru can still hear Javi’s heart racing, the blood pumping—he stops himself from venturing further. He takes the plate with a smile, inviting Javi to join him on the floor to help him eat it. And just like that the heaviness eases and Yuzuru’s back to feeling soft and good. 

“I like your other cakes, but this will always be my favorite.” Yuzuru licks his lips. 

Javi chuckles. “Well, technically this one’s your cake. Now you can make your own if want.”

Yuzuru scrunches his nose. “I think I’d rather you make it for me.You make it better.”

“You’re just being lazy.” 

“Oh, you caught me.”

Javi flicks Yuzuru’s forehead, lightly. “Lazy vamp.”

Yuzuru pouts, causing Javi to choke on his cake as he tries to stifle his laugher. This is easy. This is what Yuzuru likes about being around Javi. Not whatever….the other thing was. This, he can do. 

“Come on,” Javi stands up, offering a hand to Yuzuru, “we gotta clean this mess up or else Stéphane will kick my ass.” 

 

 In no time, the bakery is all cleaned up, floor swept, all baking utensils washed, dried, and put away. Yuzuru puts on his beanie and rewraps his scarf around his neck. Javi leads him out to his car and Yuzuru doesn’t try to argue. As they buckle up, Javi turns to him with an all-too happy grin. “So, I guess this can count as a first date, right?”

Yuzuru raises a brow. “A first date?”

“Yup! An unofficial first date, anyway.”

“Was that your plan? To trick me to go on an almost-date?”

Javi grins wider. “Yes! Admit it, you had fun.”

Yuzuru rolls his eyes.

“You totally had fun!”

“Well, I did get sweets out of it so I guess I can’t really complain.” Yuzuru shrugs. "What if I did agree that this was a date?”

“Then, I’d treat this like an actual date.”

“Meaning?”

“I’d invite you back to my place for a late night coffee.” Javi winks. 

“Is that a move you pull with all your dates?”

“Just the really pretty ones.” 

Yuzuru wrinkles his nose. “Drive, you silly human.”

 

When they pull up to the house, all the lights are off except for the one in the living room. Yuzuru wonders if Jason is still over, which leads to him wondering if he should be mentally preparing himself for whatever he and Shoma may be getting up to. He turns to Javi first, to thank him for the dessert. “Thank you again for the cake. And for stealing me.”

“Anytime,” Javi smiles, “I had a good time tonight. Maybe we can do it again sometime?”

Yuzuru hums, pretending to think about it, tapping his finger against his cheek. Javi gives him the puppy-dog eyes and Yuzuru relents. “Fine, fine. But only because it’s an excuse to get away from a lovesick Shoma.”

“Hey, I’ll take what I can get.” 

Yuzuru unbuckles his seatbelt and gets out of the car, waving as he shuts the car door. “Bye bye, Javi. Good night.”

“Good night, Yuzu.”

Yuzuru pauses at the doorway. He tries to listen beyond the door for any weird noises, but all he can hear is Jason and Shoma’s heartbeats. At least it doesn’t seem like they’re doing anything indecent. So, he opens the door, ready to say something, but he snaps his mouth shut, clamping down on his words. Shoma and Jason are indeed in the living room, dimly lit by the two lamps on either side of the couch. They’re not doing anything spectacular or anything that would make Yuzuru want to tear his eyes out. They’re just sitting, wrapped up in each other, kissing, so softly and tenderly. 

He’s happy for them. He still doesn’t understand it, but they look happy together and that’s all that matters. But it causes thoughts to pop into his head, the ones he tried to suppress earlier. It comes creeping through the darkest recesses of his mind. Yuzuru silently goes upstairs to take a shower and attempt to clear his head again. It doesn’t work. The thoughts still plague his mind as he lays in bed, staring up at the ceiling. He hears the stairs creak as Jason and Shoma go to Shoma’s room. He shuts his eyes. That only makes it worse. He can feel Javi’s touch still. It causes an uncomfortable heat to rise beneath his skin. 

After his failed attempts at trying to calm down and sleep, he finally throws off the covers and picks up his phone. 

**To Javi:**

**Are you still awake?**

Javi responds almost immediately. 

**From Javi:**

**Yeah. Just got out of the shower. Why?**

Mind made up, Yuzuru pockets his phone in his sweatpants and gets out of bed. 

* * *

Javi sighs as he stands under the spray of the shower. An unconscious smile plays on his lips as he recalls the events of this evening. Although it hadn’t been an actual date, it felt like one. He liked being able to make Yuzu smile, liked being able to make him let go a little. It had taken some time to get Yuzu to open up to him like this, and Javi treasures every little moment between them that Yuzu decides to share with him. Their moments are infinitely precious.

He remembers the way Yuzu felt against him as they lay tangled together on the floor. He members how Yuzu trembled above him. Javi had been so enraptured by the way Yuzu looked at him, how his eyes colored that beautiful shade of red Javi rarely ever sees. He’s not sure if Yuzu is always aware of when it happens. There are times when he catches Yuzu staring at him and his eyes are tinged a reddish hue. Muted, and just barely there. But tonight, Yuzu looked as he did the first night they met. Gorgeous and dangerous. The moment between them had been so intense and they hadn’t even actually kissed. Javi wants to. He’s never shied away from his attraction towards Yuzu. He’d acknowledged it from the very beginning. But now, it’s less of a simple infatuation—like a schoolboy with an innocent crush—to all blazing inferno that just makes Javi _want_.

_If I asked to kiss you, would you let me?_ Javi wonders, shivering as he thinks about the way Yuzu’s lips just barely touched his own. 

As he’s stepping out of the shower, he gets a text from Yuzu asking if he’s awake. He quickly sends a reply back, but doesn’t receive an answer. He shrugs it off and gets dressed for the evening in a comfy pair of sweats. He’s just pulling on a shirt over his head when there’s a knock on his door. He frowns, wondering who could possibly be visiting him at this hour. He pads over the front door and opens it to find Yuzu standing there, eyes wide, looking a bit unsure. “Yuzu? What are you doing here?”

“Um…” Yuzu looks down, shyly, his cheeks colored a sweet, lovely pink. Javi finds himself wanting to kiss them. “About that coffee…”

_Oh._ A slow smile spreads across his face as he opens the door wider to invite Yuzu in. 


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have momentarily broken free from my writer's block to deliver to you this chapter. Fair warning that things are about to get a little more bloody. It is a vampire au, after all. Please also see the tags. We're definitely starting to stray from the fluff and moving more towards angst territory for this chapter. 
> 
> Warning: Violence and blood. 
> 
> Other than that, hope you enjoy!

It had been a pleasant surprise seeing Yuzu show up at his doorstep that evening. It felt like a fundamental turning point in their growing relationship for Yuzu to be the one to seek him out. Javi doesn’t mind being the one to go to Yuzu, but it means a lot for Yuzu to take his first step towards Javi. They hadn’t done anything that night, sort of just ended up sitting together on Javi’s couch watching Netflix, drinking hot chocolate that Yuzu made himself. There were little chocolate clumps at the bottom of the cup but Javi still considers it the best hot chocolate he’s ever had.

 

Whatever burning need to touch Yuzu had dimmed down to a low simmering heat that remained well-below the surface. It was enough to have Yuzu in his space, willingly spending time with him, and sharing a little more of himself. In some ways, Javi thinks it’s better things stayed that way. Yuzu seemed more comfortable with him after his visit. He stops by the bakery every so often to hang out, sometimes waits outside to walk home with Javi.

They’ve had a couple of ‘sort-of-but-not-really’ dates where they’d eaten dinner at some random restaurant, nothing extravagant or fancy. Sometimes they’d stay in at Javi’s to play video games or watch movies where Yuzu would always end up falling asleep. It didn’t matter if it was action or horror, he’d always sleep. Javi didn’t mind. He sort of just loved the way Yuzu leaned against him, how he’d snuggle closer whenever Javi shifted. It’s the little moments between them that make Javi believe that maybe he’s actually making good progress in cracking the tough shell that surrounds Yuzu’s heart.

In the amount of time they’ve known each other, Javi’s little crush on his cute vampire friend has quite possibly developed beyond a simple crush. Javi finds himself drawn to Yuzu in a way he hasn’t felt drawn to anyone in his life. Cool vampire abilities and pretty face aside, Yuzu is wonderful. He can be snarky, sassy, and sometimes a little scary, but at heart he’s kind, gentle, and sweet. Javi doesn’t regret running into Yuzu in the alley that night. He doesn’t regret pursuing this friendship, either. Now that he has Yuzu in his life, he finds it difficult to imagine it without Yuzu.

 

The doorbell chimes just as Javi’s putting some finishing touches on his strawberry cheesecake in the back kitchen. He carefully arranges the strawberry slices around the cake to form a heart. He brushes on some glaze and adds a couple dashes of powdered sugar. He takes a moment to admire his work, pleased with the end result. He then picks it up and places it in the refrigerator. 

Javi removes his apron to hang up on the rack and pauses at the kitchen door. He peers out the little window to find Deniss chatting animatedly with Yuzu. Deniss is making these wide, enthusiastic gestures while Yuzu smiles along, laughing about whatever Deniss is saying. This is different, too. Not only as Yuzu opened up to Javi but by extension Deniss and Stephane. It warms Javi’s heart to see them bond like this. When he pushes the door open, both turn their heads to look at him, smiles on their faces. “Javi! I was just telling Yuzu about a couple of new recipes we’re trying out!”

“He tells me you’ve got a lot of strawberry-based recipes in progress.” Yuzu smirks, knowingly.

“Well, what can I say? Strawberry is popular and it makes certain people _very_ happy.”

“You’re not wrong about that.”

“I’ll finish up here. You go on ahead, Javi.” Deniss gives him a little shooing gesture.

“Are you sure—“

“Yeah, I’m fine. Go ahead. I just gotta wipe down the tables, anyway.”

“Thanks, Deniss!” Javi claps him on the back. “I’ll see you tomorrow!”

“Bye, Javi. Bye, Yuzu.”

“Bye bye!” Yuzu waves as they exit the bakery.

They end up walking aimlessly with no real destination in mind. They spend time talking about their day. Yuzu talks about one of his regular customers that likes to flirt with him, and seemingly tries to entice him with hard candies. Javi talks about sneaking a couple of cupcakes during break while Stephane wasn’t looking. Yuzu calls him a criminal for it. Javi claims that he was just hungry and was totally justified in sneaking one or two cupcakes. Especially because _he_ made them.

Eventually, their aimless walking leads them to a graveyard. It’s old, a little rundown, and Javi’s certain no one really visits this one anymore. All the graves are bare, cracked, and weathered. He shudders as they pass by. Yuzu raises a brow. “Scared?”

“You have to admit, graveyards are kind of creepy.” Javi flashes a teasing smile, “Guess it’s a good thing you don’t live in one, huh?”

Yuzu rolls his eyes.

“Why do people even assume you guys live in graveyards anyway?”

“Probably because we’re considered the living dead and the dead belong in coffins.” Yuzu shrugs. “I can’t see any vampire living in a coffin. It seems incredibly uncomfortable.”

“No kidding.” 

“I will say that there are those that dwell in graveyards, lurk within the shadows while waiting for poor unsuspecting humans to show up.”

“Is that was you do? Lurk in the shadows waiting for poor humans?” Javi grins.” Because that’s totally what you did for me.”

“I actually had you in my sights for a while,” Yuzu admits, keeping his eyes firmly ahead. His cheeks are adorably flushed, “I just decided to go for it that night.”

“Wait, what?”

“I’m kind of picky when it comes to human blood,” Yuzu says, carefully. “I don’t feed on random humans like others do. Like Shoma and Keiji do. When I find someone who’s blood appeals to me, I sort of track them, familiarize myself with their movements to have a good opportunity to strike. So, rather than feeding from multiple people, I stick to one for a while.”

This is news to Javi. Yuzu doesn’t often talk about his feeding habits. While Javi likes to tease Yuzu about it, they’ve never talked about it in a serious light like this. Javi doesn’t know how he should feel about Yuzu basically stalking him for his blood. He supposes he feels kind of flattered that Yuzu found him so appealing, but also kind of disappointed that Yuzu didn’t approach him sooner.

“Wait, if that’s true, have you fed at all?” Javi asks with a frown.

They’ve known each other for a while now, a couple of months, at least. Javi doesn’t recall Yuzu ever going out to feed. Or maybe he has and spared Javi the details. Yuzu is quiet by his side, though, which gives him al the answers he needs. He stops to grab Yuzu’s hand, pulling him to a stop. He cups his face, tilting it upwards so that he can get a better look. There, he notices subtle differences. Yuzu is still as beautiful as ever but there are circles under his eyes, barely noticeable but there. His skin is paler than normal, Javi realizes. His eyes, while normally containing all the light in the universe, seem darker now, like endless black holes that lead to who knows where. It makes his stomach twist with guilt at the thought that he’s the reason Yuzu hasn’t been getting proper sustenance.

“You haven’t fed, have you?” Javi brushes his thumbs against the circle beneath his eyes. 

“It’s not that I haven’t. I have…”

“I can hear a ‘but’ in that sentence. Yuzu, if you need to feed, then go ahead. I don’t mind.”

Yuzu shakes his head. “I’m fine. Keiji snagged a couple of blood bags.”

“Blood bags? Is that enough?”

“It’s enough to keep from going insane,” Yuzu smiles, slightly, “and there’s always animals if I want something fresh. I will admit I’ve had a a deer or two.”

Javi just stares at him, brows pinched together in worry. He’s genuinely concerned for Yuzu’s health. Maybe the blood bags are enough to keep him sustained and sane, but he wonders if it gives Yuzu the nutrients he needs. The small physical changes show some evidence that perhaps it isn’t okay, which of course makes Javi worry more. How long can this go on before it seriously affects Yuzu’s health?

Yuzu sighs, lifting his hand to touch Javi’s cheek, “Don’t worry. I’m okay.”

“Yuzu, you should know that if you wanted to, if you needed to,” Javi pauses, swallowing against the growing lump in his throat, “you could bite me—“

“No.” Yuzu steps out of Javi’s hold immediately. “You aren’t food, Javi. You’re my friend. I wouldn’t take advantage of you like that.”

“You wouldn’t be, though.” Javi takes Yuzu’s hand in his again. “I’m offering. I know you want it. You literally stalked me for my blood. You can have it.”

“Javi…”

Javi pulls Yuzu in, holding him close to his body. He hears Yuzu gasp. Javi cradles the back of his head, guiding him towards his neck. He shivers as he feels Yuzu’s cold lips press against him. “Take it. It’s okay.” Javi whispers.

“You realize I could potentially kill you, right?”

“I trust you.”

Javi finds that he really does mean that. He trusts Yuzu with this, trusts him to keep in control. He knows he’s playing with fire, but it’s Yuzu. His friend and someone he cares about deeply. He’s willing to sacrifice some blood for him. Javi grips onto Yuzu tighter as he feels something sharp graze over his skin. Yuzu clutches onto him for a brief moment, mouthing up his neck and jaw. “Mm, famous last words.” Yuzu murmurs, placing a single kiss to Javi’s cheek before pulling away completely.

“Yuzu—“

“Another time,” Yuzu says with a shaky smile before turning to walk ahead of Javi, “come on, we can go on one of your ‘sort-of-but-not-really’ dates.”

Javi stares at his back, debating about pushing Yuzu just a little more about this. But decides against it. Still, he can’t ignore the red in Yuzu’s eyes, the hunger just barely concealed in them, and how Yuzu looked like it took everything in him to walk away.

 

 

It doesn’t get any better. Javi notices how tired Yuzu looks as the days go by. It’s unsettling to see Yuzu slip further into this state of near exhaustion day by day. He clothes are always a rumpled mess, his hair even more so, and despite how he smiles, it’s always strained, pulling a little too tight at the edges. For all of Yuzu’s reassurances that he’s doing fine, that the blood bags are enough, Javi doesn’t think it’s fine at all. But any time he tries to bring it up, Yuzu shoots him down almost immediately. He knows it’s bad when Yuzu doesn’t open the bookstore one day. If it had been the weekend, Javi could understand. But it’s the middle of the week, Javi hasn’t seen Yuzu at all.

“I wonder where he is,” Deniss. says, leaning against the counter beside Javi, “do you know if he’s sick?”

Truthfully, Javi has no clue. Yuzu hasn’t responded to any of his texts he sent. However, he reassures Deniss that Yuzu’s probably fine and caught some weird bug, that he’ll be back soon enough. Deniss goes along with it. Javi sets his mind to visiting Yuzu later to check for himself to make sure he’s okay.

Javi ends up taking off from work a little earlier than normal. Stephane lets it go, but only because Javi offered to work a little overtime. He gets off at the bus stop near Yuzu’s house and walks up to the front door to knock. He’s surprised when Jason answers the door, a bright smile on his face. “Javi, hi!” Javi can just visualize a fluffy tail wagging behind him.

“Hey, Jason. Is Yuzu around?”

“Oh,” Jason’s smile sips somewhat, “he’s feeling a little under the weather. He’s been locked up in his room all day. Super grumpy, really. Doesn’t want to see anyone.”

“Oh.”

“Yeah, sorry, Javi. I’ll let him know you stopped by, though!”

Jason is about to shut the door when Javi sticks his foot out to stop him from closing it on him. He doesn’t want to be shut out like this when he knows that something is very wrong. He can sense it. His stomach has been coiled into tight, anxious knots all day. He kind of feels like he wants to throw up. 

“Jason,” Javi grips onto the doorframe, “please, tell me honestly, is he okay? Is he going to be okay?”

Jason sighs. “I don’t really know. I haven’t seen him like this before.”

“He’s been telling me that he’s fine for the past few weeks but I know he’s been lying. I—just…is there anything I can do?”

“Just be patient with him. He’ll get back on track soon enough.”

“Will he—“

“Javi!” Keiji appears behind Jason, greeting him with a kind smile. “Good to see you!”

“Keiji, hey—“

“Come, come. Let’s go for a little walk.” Keiji skirts around Jason and shoos him back inside before shutting the door. He gestures for Javi to start walking, Javi does so. 

“Yuzu isn’t okay, is he?” Javi blurts out before they’ve even reached the end of the driveway.

“I’m going to be honest with you, because you’re like family to us now, Javi.” Keiji steps in front of Javi and puts a hand on his shoulder. “He’s not okay. He’s…sick.”

“Sick? Vampires get sick?”

“Not in the way humans do, of course. It’s not like the flu where it’ll go away in week or so. It’s different.”

Javi frowns. 

“Our bodies need proper substance. We need fresh human blood or else we start shutting down. Blood bags can keep us from slipping into our bloodlust, but it’s not the same as fresh blood.”

“I offered to let him bite me, but he—“

“He turned you down.” Keiji smiles half-heartedly. “I know.”

“But he needs it. I mean, he spent so much time tracking me or whatever and now he won’t take what he needs? Why?”

“I can’t tell you exactly what’s on Yuzu’s mind. There’s so much that goes on in there that Shoma and I have trouble deciphering even after centuries of knowing him.”

“I know he thinks he’s taking advantage of me or whatever, but he’s not! I mean, I offered! It’s consensual!”

“You are truly a great friend, Javi.” Keiji gives his shoulder a firm squeeze before continuing to walk. “He cares about you a lot. More than he lets on.”

“I care about him a lot, too.”

“I know you do.”

“What can I do, Keiji?” Javi asks, desperately. “How can I help him?”

“For now, I think the best thing to do is to keep your distance. At least until we can convince Yuzu to hunt again.”

“He really doesn’t want to hunt at all?”

Keiji shakes his head, sadly. “I’m sure he told you, he’s picky. Extremely so. He’s been this way for a while. He sticks to one human. I don’t think I’ve ever seen Yuzu drink from multiple humans in quiet some time. Not since he left his sire.”

Javi let’s the information sink in. He still doesn’t quite know how old Yuzu is but he guesses it’s around a couple hundred years or so. In that time, apparently, Yuzu’s limited himself to hunting one human at a time, rather than going after many. 

“I always believed that perhaps a part of himself still harbors the fear of slipping back into his old ways, taking too much from too many.” Javi jerks his head to look at Keiji. “It’s safer to take from one, less casualties in the event that he takes too much.”

“But he seems so in control. I mean, I literally had him against my neck and he resisted.”

“Yuzu’s control is above and beyond any vampire I’ve ever met. He prides himself for that, but it’s understandable considering how hard he worked for it.”

“That’s admirable.”

“It is. He tries hard to be good.” Javi watches, mildly entranced by the way Keiji walks along a long crack in the sidewalk. “For us vamps, we generally try to be civil, to keep the instincts from fully taking over, but it’s a struggle sometimes. Despite how we’ve evolved over the years, or how hard we try to fight it, a part of us will always retain that monstrous quality. It’s in our nature.”

“What happens if Yuzu doesn’t hunt again?” Javi sticks his hands into his pockets, clenching them into fists to stop them from shaking. “What will happen to him?”

“Worst case scenario, he’ll fall into a coma,” Keiji sighs, “in which case, we’d have to force feed him blood to wake him back up again. But I’m hoping it doesn’t come to that because Yuzu would be forever distraught over it.”

“So, convincing him to go out is your only option.”

“Pretty much. I’m sure we’ll wear him down eventually. Despite how stubborn he is, he knows when to back down.” 

“I hope so.”

Keiji smiles, reassuringly. “He’ll be okay, Javi. I’m sure of it.”

Javi hopes Keiji is right.

 

 

The next few days drag on so slowly. There’s still no sign of Yuzu. His texts remain unanswered, not even read. Javi wonders if he should stop by again, but a part ofhim knows that it would be fruitless. Yuzu’s probably still locked up in his room, sick and slipping away further and further into sleep. The only sort of consolation Javi has is that Yuzu won’t die. He’ll just…sleep. 

Javi tries to call Yuzu again, only for it to go directly to voicemail. It doesn’t even ring this time. There’s mute panic beginning to rise inside. He knows that Keiji, Shoma, and Jason will take care of Yuzu. They’ve been doing it longer than he has. And yet, he still can’t shake the lingering fear that if he doesn’t _do something_ he’ll lose Yuzu. Rationally, he knows he won’t. It doesn’t stop doubt from trickling through the cracks. 

He’s just set his phone back down on the bed when it vibrates suddenly. He quickly picks it up to see an incoming text from Yuzu. Heart beating wildly, he swipes to open the message. 

**From Yuzu:**

**Hey, Javi. We got him. Going to take him hunting tonight. Told you he’d be okay. - Keiji**

Javi exhales slowly, letting go of the tension in his body. He’s been so wound up tight lately worrying about Yuzu, it’s a relief to hear some good news. He collapses back onto his bed, staring up at the ceiling for a moment. Yuzu is going to be okay. He’ll be fine. Keiji and Shoma are taking him out to hunt. The relief lasts a second longer and is replaced by something else. It coils in his gut and slithers in his chest. The thought of Yuzu biting someone else. 

Javi doesn’t consider himself the possessive type. He’s always been pretty laid back with the people he’s been with. But Yuzu awakens something else in him. He knows he doesn’t have any claim over Yuzu at all. They’re not really together. Not in the way Javi wishes them to be. But Yuzu _is_ precious and he _is_ important. This doesn’t sit well with him. He lingers in bed, tosses to one side, flips onto his stomach to bury his face in his pillow, feels too hot, so he flips back onto his back, and then finally ends up rolling off the bed. 

His conscience tells him that this isn’t the brightest idea he’s ever had. But he’s not thinking rationally right now. Javi doesn’t think about anything as he tugs on a pair of jeans, yanks on a jacket, and grabs his phone from the charger. He doesn’t think about the possible consequences of his decisions as he slips on his sneakers and steps out of his apartment. He for sure, ignores the warning bells going off in his head when he starts walking down the dark, empty street, telling him that it’s probably not the safest idea to be out past midnight with a couple of vampires running around looking for food. 

Javi doesn’t care about any of that. All he cares about is Yuzu. _Yuzu, Yuzu, Yuzu,_ plays like a mantra in his head as he quickens his steps. Keiji never gave specifics as to where they might be tonight, or if they’re even hurting in town, but Javi has a gut feeling that he knows where Yuzu will be. He keeps to his route without deterring, uncaring of the sudden chill that’s fallen over him. It barely registers that he’s started running now, breath coming out in quick gasps as he sprints through the streets. 

His legs are burning and his jeans feel incredibly constricting but he doesn’t let that stop him. He keeps going even has his lungs feel like burning. After what feels like eternity, Javi finally reaches his destination. The alley where they first met. It’s as dark as the first time. Empty. Eerie. It raises the goosebumps on his skin. He supposes that’s a good thing, maybe an indicator that Yuzu is near. He laughs internally at the thought of him having some weird sixth sense for seeking out Yuzu. 

Javi tugs his jacket tighter around himself and walks into the alley. He gets about halfway through when the light above him starts flickering. He stops, closes his eyes, and sighs in relief when he feels a presence behind him. “Yuzu, you—“ Javi turns and yelps when he realizes it’s not Yuzu.

_Shit!_ Javi staggers back, putting some distance between himself and vampire in front of him. He’s a sandy blonde, taller than Javi, and has the most menacing red eyes. So unlike Yuzu’s. “Um…h-hey.” Javi croaks.

The vampire tilts his head. 

“I—uh—was just passing through. I’ll be on my way now.” Javi turns, ready to bolt it out of there, when suddenly, the wind gets knocked out his lungs as the vampire slams him against the wall. “Ow…okay, that was rude.”

“You are quite strange, human.”

Javi snorts. _Wouldn’t be the first time I heard that…_ his laughter gets cut off, when the vampire leans in to lick his neck. He cringes, nails biting into wall behind him. The vampire tugs at Javi’s hair, roughly. “You smell divine…mind if I have a bite?”

“Actually, ye—ack!” 

The vampire wraps a hand around Javi’s neck, putting just enough pressure to stop him from talking but not enough to really choke him. Javi tries to put up a fight but it’s useless. This vampire isn’t like Yuzu, somehow stronger, more determined to get a bite. The vampire grips onto Javi tighter, angles his head back, exposing his throat. Javi goes rigid as something sharp pierces his skin. His mouth parts in a mute scream. A horrible fire spreads from his neck to the rest of his body, rendering him completely paralyzed. He feels the vampire pull back only to bite into his wrist, sending another agonizing wave of heat through his entire system. 

Javi’s vision blurs, starting to go black along the edges. His muscles start to relax, going limp in the vampire’s hold. He head lolls to the side and he’s just about to slip away when he hears a vicious snarl. With the last of his strength, he lifts his head and sees a familiar pair of red eyes. A smiles forms upon his lips.

_Yuzu…_

* * *

 Yuzu’s limbs feel like they weigh a ton. His skin is clammy, his body feels too cold and too hot at the same time. There’s a burning sensation at the back of his throat, and he can’t stop the occasional chills that wrack his body. He vaguely remembers what it was like to be sick with the flu as a human, somehow this seems worse. His fingers tangle into the sheets below him, tearing into the fabric with his sharpened nails. There’s a war going on inside of him, one part telling him that he _must_ feed and the other telling him to control it, to fight back. He wants to listen to the better part of himself.

He’s gone through withdrawals before during his time with his sire, when blood was the only thing that occupied his mind. Now, is different. Blood isn’t an all consuming need. Yuzu is better controlled than that. He’s _better_ than that. But every instinct is screaming at him to seek out blood, to look for his intended prey, to—he forces himself to stop. He will not travel down that path. He won’t put Javi’s life in danger just because he can’t control a small urger.

_It’s not a small urge. You know it’s not. You_ need _it,_ a dark voice whispers. Yuzu tries to ignore that, too. He groans, flinging his arm over his eyes. He tries to level his breathing, to slow his heart rate down, keep himself calm. It works a little. He hear a knock on his door then. “Go away!” He shouts. 

“Not this time.” Keiji opens the door and plants himself on Yuzu’s bed. “You need help.”

“You need to fuck off.” Yuzu snaps.

“Your bitch fits don’t bother me anymore, Yuzu. Get off your ass. We’re going hunting.”

“Fuck you.”

Keiji growls, yanking Yuzu up by the collar. “Listen, you asshole. Look at yourself! You’re withering away! You need blood, Yuzu. Fresh blood. And you need it _now_.”

“It’s not happening.” 

“Think about Javi—“

“I am thinking about Javi!” Yuzu shoves Keiji off of him. “That’s the whole reason I haven’t fed! I’m thinking about him!”

“He’s worried about you, Yuzu. He’s scared.”

Yuzu massages at his throbbing temples. 

“He cares so much about you. Think about how much this is affecting him to know you’re suffering so much. If you won’t feed for yourself, at least feed for Javi so he can be put at ease.”

“It’s not that simple! You know it’s not.”

“I know, I know.” Keiji says, placatingly. “I know it’s not that simple. I know that when you find someone you want to bite, it’s difficult to find someone else. But, Yuzu, you either have to take Javi’s offer or try to hunt for someone else.”

“I can’t…”

“You have to choose.”

Yuzu knows that Keiji is right and he feels downright awful for making Javi worry. He weighs his options. He doesn’t need that much blood to cure himself. A couple mouthfuls will do, but imagining himself using Javi for food makes his skin crawl. If he bites a stranger, it’s a little easier to bear. “Alright, fine. You’re right. I’ll hunt tonight.”

“Shoma and I can go with you so you won’t be alone. Maybe we can grab a bite, too.”

Yuzu just nods. Though, he knows Keiji and Shoma will only be there to keep Yuzu in check. He doesn’t feel out of control just yet but he can never be too careful when blood is involved. Keiji leaves him soon after to tell Shoma. Once they’re ready, they come and get him. Keiji grabs for Yuzu’s phone to text someone. Yuzu raises a brow. 

“Javi will want an update. I’m just letting him know that you’ll be okay.” Keiji tosses the phone back onto Yuzu’s bed.

“Thanks.”

Yuzu can only imagine the damage control Keiji had to do while he was out of it. Keiji waves him off, nodding for him to go. Shoma and Keiji lead him to a club somewhere in town. He’s not much of a fan of clubs, too many people, and much too loud. He will never understand why they choose this place to be their hunting grounds. They sit at a table tucked away into a corner of the room that gives him full scope of the dance floor. 

“So, anyone to your liking?” Keiji nudges him.

Yuzu closes his eyes, inhales deeply, taking in all the scents around him. There are so many, almost too many in close proximity, mixing together and it nearly makes Yuzu want to hurl. There are some that smell rather pleasant, on the sweeter side, but he also smells the alcohol in their bloodstream. He wrinkles his nose in distaste. 

“Not really…”

“Look, Yuzu,” Shoma sighs in exasperation, “we know you’re picky but right now, you need to feed before you collapse. Just pick someone.”

Yuzu scans the room again, looking for at least someone decent. Sure, he can’t be too picky, but he at least wants something _good_. He eventually finds one, a young female at the edge of the dance floor. He slips off his stool and slowly makes his way towards her. He can feel Keiji and Shoma’s eyes follow him. 

“Hello,” he says, his voice silky smooth, the girl’s eyes widen in response, “mind if I join you?”

She seems to compose herself and flashes him a sultry smile, wrapping her arms around his neck.“Of course not.” 

Yuzu forces himself to stay where he is, to not bolt out of there like he desperately wants to. This feels wrong. So, _so_ wrong. Her blood doesn’t call to him in the way that Javi does. It’s sweet for sure, but it’s not right. He’s about ready to withdraw when Shoma and Keiji appear by his side, startling the girl. Keiji smiles, warmly, eyes flashing red for a moment. “Hello, would you like to get out of here, maybe?”

Yuzu watches as the girl’s pupils dilate, expression going blank as Keiji compels her. Keiji pulls her from Yuzu’s arms, leading them out of the club. Shoma tugs Yuzu along, almost dragging him out of the club to follow after them. They go out the back of the club that leads them to a back alley. “Here,” Keiji tilts the girls head, bearing her neck. 

Yuzu shakes his head, reaching for her wrists instead. He brings it up to his mouth, lightly skims his lips over her delicate wrists. He opens his mouth, ready to sink his fangs into her flesh, when he picks up on a very distinct scent he’d know anywhere. He stiffens, pulling back abruptly and dropping the girl’s hand. He frowns, sniffing the air again. There’s no mistake. It’s Javi. 

“Is that—“

“Javi.” Shoma nods. 

Yuzu closes his eyes and inhales again, deeply. Javi’s scent is stronger than normal, almost as if he—his eyes snap open. A growl rumbles deep in his chest and he can feels his muscles coiling like a predator ready to pounce on its prey. Keiji holds a hand out, warningly. “Yuzu, don’t—“

Yuzu shoots out of the back alley, following the trail of Javi’s scent. It gets stronger the closer he gets, almost overwhelmingly so. He knows that the only way it could be this strong is if Javi’s bleeding. His own blood is boiling, rushing in his ears as he approaches _his_ alley. He pauses, peering into the darkness where he finds a sight that enrages him. There, he finds Javi pinned to the wall by some lowly vampire, happily sucking away at Javi’s wrist. Yuzu’s eyes trail to the blood dripping down the side of Javi’s neck from two little holes. 

Suddenly, everything Yuzu has tried to keep at bay comes bursting through the dam. Every restraint Yuzu’s kept held tight snaps. Then, Javi looks at him, a smile on his lips. “Yuzu….” He mouths. 

And then Yuzu’s surging forward before he can stop himself. Red paints his vision and all coherent thought goes out the window. He’s reduced to his most basic primal instincts. He hardly knows what he’s doing as he picks up a rusty pipe from the ground, barely even registers when he snaps it half like a twig and stabs the vampire through the chest with it. His hands shake with rage as he slams the other against the wall, yanks the vampire’s head to the side to bite him viciously. The other cries out in pain as Yuzu bites down harder, before tearing his mouth away harshly. He grabs the vampire by the neck, feels an almost sadistic sort of pleasure seeing the fear flash in his eyes. “He is _mine_. Do you know what happens to those that take what is mine?” Yuzu growls.

The vampire shakes their head rapidly, eyes wide and trembling. 

“You die.”

“P-plea—“

Yuzu quickly jerks the vampire’s head, snapping his neck. He lets the body drop the ground with a dull thud. “Are you okay?” Keiji keeps a careful distance. 

Yuzu’s still breathing heavily, brain still too foggy to respond with more than a grunt. 

“Oh boy,” Yuzu turns to see Shoma kneeling beside Javi, “this needs to be sealed.”

Yuzu barely manages to restrain himself from attacking Shoma as he dutifully seals the wound on Javi’s neck. Shoma shudders, pulling back and looking at Yuzu apologetically. “Sorry. You’re not in the right mind right now and well, he needs help.”

Yuzu blinks back in acknowledgement, too on edge to do much else. He can barely keep himself focused, can barely think clearly. He’s still running on a high. 

Javi begins to stir, groaning as he touches the side of his neck where the bite used to be. There’s still a trail of dried blood. He blinks blearily, “Yuzu?“

Then, it’s a bucket of ice water has been dumped all over Yuzu, snapping him out of it completely. The haze fades away and he’s left feeling entirely cold at the realization of what he’s just done. There’s blood on his hands, he can taste the vampire’s horrid blood lingering in his mouth, and all he can feel is surmounting dread pooling in his stomach. 

_What have I done?_


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I....don't know what this update even is. Lol. Progress, I guess? This will probably be the last of the angst for a bit...maybe.
> 
> Also, the Tokyo Ghoul soundtrack makes for some great inspiration for this au. Lol. 
> 
> Anyway, hope you enjoy! :)

Javi’s body is throbbing. There’s this slight burning sensation running throughout his entire body. It’s more annoying than painful in all honesty. It makes his head spin, makes it hard to concentrate. His muscles feel like jelly. There’s darkness creeping in at the corners of his vision, threatening to take him under but he needs to hold on. Or at least, that’s what he’s telling himself. He needs to stay awake, he needs to—

The sound of someone retching manages to snap him out of it somewhat. He lifts his head up, weakly,but something blocks his vision. He hears someone whispering, then feels someone wrap an arm around his waist, carefully lifting him from the ground.His legs tremble even though most of his weight is being supported by the body next to him.

“Vampire venom,” Keiji explains, grimacing as there’s more retching sounds, “meant to stun prey. You’re going to be incapacitated for a while.”

Javi just nods, numbly. He lifts his head towards the noise. His heart sinks when he realizes the one making those awful sounds is Yuzu. He’s bent over, stomach heaving, blood dripping from his lips. He looks paler and the inky black stands of his hair are matted to the sides of his face. More than how sick Yuzu looks, Javi feels something inside of him break when he sees the growing fear in his eyes. He looks so lost and afraid, Javi wishes so badly to hug him, to tell him it’s okay.

Shoma goes to help him but Yuzu shrugs him off, stumbling back and knocking into the wall. Javi can’t watch this anymore. “Yuzu—“

Yuzu snaps his head up, stares a Javi for a moment, before shaking his head. He wipes at his mouth frantically, trying to get rid of the blood. It doesn’t really help, just spreads the red. Javi aches to reach out for him, to comfort him, to erase whatever terrible thoughts are going through his head right now. 

“Take him home, Keiji.” Yuzu finally says, voice tight.

“Are you—“

“Go!” Yuzu turns away, hiding his face in his hand. “Please, go.”

_No_ , Javi wants to scream. He doesn’t want to leave Yuzu alone. He doesn’t want Yuzu to be alone. He hopes that maybe Shoma and Keiji will protest, but they don’t. Keiji doesn’t say a word as he scoops Javi up into his arms. The next thing he knows, there’s wind rushing against his face, Yuzu is no longer in sight, and they’re back at the house. 

Jason opens the door for them, asking about a million questions that Shoma answers in soothing hushed tones. Keiji doesn’t put him on the couch like Javi expects. Instead, he’s taken upstairs to Yuzu’s room; completely uncharted territory for Javi. He’s never been invited into Yuzu’s room before. Keiji doesn’t seem to care whether he has Yuzu’s blessings or not, just kicks the door open and places Javi on the bed. 

“A bed is much more comfortable than a couch,” Keiji says, as if reading Javi’s mind, “and you’re going to need to be comfortable while the venom wears off.”

Javi clears his throat, wincing at how dry his throat is. As if on cue, Shoma appears with a glass of water and some gauze. Keiji helps Javi sit up as he drinks. The fire in his chest and throat eases somewhat. 

“Will Yuzu—“ Javi, pauses, clearing his throat again, “will Yuzu be okay?”

Keiji and Shoma exchange a quick glance. Javi can tell just by their expressions that whatever is going on with Yuzu is not okay. Shoma leans in to whisper something to Keiji before ducking out of the room. Keiji sighs, then takes a seat at the edge of the bed. “I haven’t seen Yuzu like this in some time. I don’t know what’s going on in his head right now, but I can say it’s not good.”

“He was scared. He—“

“I know. He hasn’t lost control like that in over two hundred years. It’s not as bad as it could have been. I think there was a part of him that held back.”

“What do you mean?”

“He could’ve killed that vampire, but he didn’t.”

“He didn’t?”

Keiji chuckles. “It takes a lot more to kill us than getting stabbed and getting our neck snapped. Yuzu was holding back.”

“So, even like that he still—“

“Still maintains some form of control,” Keiji nods, “but he won’t see it that way. I know him. I know that he’s probably out there beating himself up over what he did.”

Javi tries to sit up again, but the room starts spinning and he ends up on his back. Keiji places a placating hand on his shoulder. “When Yuzu gets like this, it’s best to give him his space. He needs time to think, to reflect.”

“But—“

“Rest, Javi.” Keiji’s voice suddenly sounds so soothing, so smooth, like a lullaby. Javi can feel him self drifting. It’s useless fighting it as he sinks into a deep slumber.

 

 When Javi wakes up, his head feels foggy. He flexes his fingers, his toes, just to make sure he can feel them. He can. The fire is gone but Javi still feels a weird itch. He tries to sit up but his muscles protest and he flops back down. Groaning, he shifts onto his side, fingers curling into the sheets. He inhales deeply, momentarily relaxed by Yuzu’s familiar scent. Something sweet, a little citrusy.

It startles him fully awake. He jolts upwards as his eyes dart all over the room. There’s no sign of Yuzu. Javi notices that there’s gauze wrapped around his wrist and a glass of water on the nightstand with a couple of dark red capsule pills. There’s a note taped to the glass. 

_Take when you wake up. It’ll help you feel better. — Keiji_

Javi shrugs as he takes the pills. He trusts Keiji enough to not give him weird drugs. They taste vaguely of copper. Javi swallows them quickly, washing down the strange aftertaste with water. Whatever it was, it seems to have an immediate affect. Javi can feel the heaviness in his limbs fade along with the itch. He honestly feels better than he has all week. 

 With his strength restored, Javi gets out of bed. His eyes fall upon a neat pile of clothes on the chair beside the door. They’re fresh from the dryer, soft and warm to the touch. There’s another note tucked into the shirt.

_Wear these. Your clothes reek of blood. — Keiji_

Javi opens the door and peeks out into the hall. It's quiet in the house. It’s possible no one’s home right now. He wonders if they’ve gone to look for Yuzu. The thought fills Javi with a sense of urgency.He quickly changes into the clean white sweater Keiji provided him with. It’s a little snug, but it’s comfortable. 

As he hurries downstairs, he nearly runs into Shoma that’s just on his way up. Shoma offers an easy smile, so unlike the snarky one Javi is used to. “I was just about to check up on you.”

“Oh,” Javi says, dumbly, “thanks.”

“How are you feeling?”

“I’m fine. Those pills are amazing.” 

“Good to hear. They’re infused with magic. It’s supposed to help humans after they’re…well, fed on. Anyway, since you’re up, I’ll go collect Yuzu’s sheets.”

Shoma slips past Javi up the stairs. Javi calls out to him. “Hey, uh…did Yuzu come back last night?”

“No, he didn’t.”

Shoma doesn’t elaborate further as he disappears into Yuzu’s room. Javi doesn’t know what to make of that. But the heavy feeling returns, settling in the pit of his stomach. He doesn’t have a good feeling about this. Javi decides that the best person to ask is Keiji, but finds that Keiji doesn’t seem to be home. Neither is Jason. Feeling antsy, Javi makes for the door, wanting to search for Yuzu but is stopped when Shoma appears in front of him, blocking his way. 

“Shoma—“

“Sorry, I was told to keep you here. And honestly, it might be safer if you stay here.” Shoma steps towards Javi and Javi moves one back. “I think you’ve risked your life enough.”

Javi winces. Suddenly, guilt come rushing in. He knows he’s placed a heavy burden on top of everyone. His recklessness is the reason Yuzu is struggling now. Shoma must see something in his expression, because he sighs, places a hand on Javi’s shoulder and pats him gently. “I know you mean well but it’s for the best that you stay here for now. Let Keiji and Jason handle this.”

“I’m surprised you didn’t go with them.”

“I wanted to,” Shoma shrugs, “but we agreed it was best to have someone with you. We would’ve stuck Jason with you but frankly, he’s soft and would let you go.”

“Will it be alright with just them?”

“It should be,” Shoma starts steering Javi towards the kitchen where he pours Javi a cup of coffee, “the main thing is keeping you out of trouble.”

“I’m sorry.”

Shoma fixes him with a sad smile, “I’m not the one you should be apologizing to.”

Javi presses his lips together, ducking his head low. 

“What you did was selfish and stupid,” Shoma doesn’t pull his punches, “I know you care about him, but risking your life the way you did doesn’t help anyone. It doesn’t help Yuzu.”

“I know, I wasn’t thinking…”

“I’m not trying to make you feel bad, I just want you to understand that last night could have gone so much worse,” Shoma’s voice tapers off to a whisper, “I don’t know what he would have done if we hadn’t arrived there on time. The Yuzu I saw last night was a Yuzu I haven’t seen in a long time, one that I didn’t think I’d ever see again.”

Javi shuts his eyes, pain seeping into his chest, filling his lungs. He knows he fucked up. He _knows_. 

“Yuzu is strong. Stronger than anyone I know, but he’s also the most vulnerable,” Shoma moves closer, breaching the distance between them to grab Javi’s wrist, still wrapped in gauze, now bleeding through slightly, “his heart is so fragile, Javi. He cares about you so much. If he were to lose you…”

Javi lifts his head as Shoma trails off. He sees the pained expression on Shoma’s face, so open and raw. It feels like a knife striking him in the chest. Shoma grips him tighter,“All I’m asking is that you think about him. I ask that you protect him.”

“I don’t know if that’s possible. I mean, I’m human and he’s—“

Shoma cuts him off, shaking his head, moving his hand over Javi’s heart, “Yuzu is different. You have to protect him here. That means staying safe and not doing dumb shit that puts your life in danger. Protect Yuzu by protecting yourself first.” 

Javi swallows against the lump in his throat and nods. Shoma let’s go. The gauze is even more soaked now, an indicator that the wound hadn’t been sealed last night. Shoma gestures at it, “Do you want me to—“

“No,” Javi covers his wrist, “it’s fine. I’ll be okay.”

Shoma stares at him, seemingly checking him over for something. He relents, finally, then stands from the table, “Just remember what I said. I’m going to check on the laundry.”

Shoma leaves Javi alone in the kitchen. There’s still the lingering temptation to run out the door, to go after Yuzu. But Javi resists. Despite how much he wants to, he doesn’t want to cause anymore trouble and he for sure does not want to cause anymore suffering for Yuzu. So, he remains in his seat, staring down at his cup of coffee. 

It’s cold.

* * *

Yuzu feels like he’s dying. His throat feels like a fucking desert. His stomach is coiled into painful, uncomfortable knots that make it impossible to keep anything down. Yuzu manages to walk a little longer until he comes to an empty park. He collapses beneath a shady oak tree. It's nearly dawn, probably not the best time to be out like this. But Yuzu can't find it in him to care at the moment. 

His body throbs, aching for fresh blood. Now that he’s purged all the blood in his stomach, he can feel it, the need slowly starting to become this gnawing hunger inside. He knows that he can’t keep this up for much longer. He kind of wishes Keiji were here to knock him out, put him out of his misery temporarily. Yuzu brings his knees to his chest, curling into a tight little ball in a miserable attempt to shut the world out. 

It doesn’t work.

“Whoa, hey, are you okay?” He stiffens at the sudden voice. He peeks out from behind his hands to see some guy dressed in sweats, looking like he’s just finishing up a run. He smells good enough.

Yuzu moves faster than the man can process, pinning him against the tree. “Hey, what the fu—“

“Shh…” Yuzu puts two fingers bloody fingers against them man’s lips, silencing him. He can _smell_ the fear coursing through his prey’s veins. He lifts the man’s arm, mouths along his forearm. “Stay still. I just need a bite. Just a quick bite.”

His prey goes limp, succumbing easily to his compulsion. Without much more delay, Yuzu bites down hard. But the taste isn’t at all like he expects. The blood is foul like spoiled milk. He withdraws quickly, scrambling to get to the trashcan to throw up. Once the nausea passes, Yuzu wipes his mouth with his sleeve, throwing an absolute disgusted look at the mess he made. 

He glares at the man. _What the fuck are you eating?_ Yuzu has enough sense to wipe the man’s memories clean, grimacing as he seals the man’s wounds. He then settles the man on a bench to get over his compulsion before leaving. He feels a spike of anger and annoyance rise up. A little bit of desperation. Yuzu looks for scents that appeal to him, any that could potentially help him. He finds one. It’s not spectacular, nothing special, but he supposes it’ll do. He just needs to feed.

_Better them than Javi._

Yuzu tracks the scent to another male, younger than the first, waiting at the bus stop alone. He makes for perfect prey. Yuzu swoops in, leading his prey away from the open. He hesitates before biting into their forearm. Perhaps he should take from some place else. He doesn’t typically go for the neck, but he’s starving and albeit a little apprehensive after the first one. The neck is always a good spot to bite. So, he tilts the male’s head back and sinks his fangs into his neck. But much like the first, the blood is bitter on his tongue. Not as foul but almost as bad. He spits it out. 

He growls in frustration. Nothing tastes right. Nothing smells right. Everything is terrible on his tongue. He doesn’t understand this, doesn’t understand what’s going on with him. Yuzu’s so riled up and angry and frustrated. He feels like a walking time bomb just waiting to explode.

“Hey, I found him.” Yuzu catches Jason’s voice and snaps his head in his direction. “Yuzu!”

“Jason…”

“You look terrible.”

Yuzu smiles bitterly. “I feel terrible.”

Keiji appears, looking relieved. He gathers Yuzu in for a brief hug, pulling away only to give Yuzu a quick once-over to make sure everything is okay. Or well, as okay as they can be. “We’ve been trying to track you all morning.”

“Well, you found me.”

“You have multiple scents on you,” Keiji frowns, “did you feed?”

“I tried. Nothing works.”

Keiji grabs Yuzu’s shoulders, “Yuzu, I know you won’t like what I’m about to say but—“

“You’re right. I’m not going to like what you’re about to say.” Yuzu shoves him off. “So don’t say it.”

“Blood from other humans isn’t working, obviously. You need Javi—“

“Don’t, Keiji.” 

“Look, I’m not a vampire, so I don’t really know how things are for you,” Jason cuts in, “but I think Keiji might be right. You need Javi’s blood.”

Yuzu closes his eyes, breathing to calm himself down. 

“If nothing else is working, then maybe that’s the only way. Yuzu, you know what will happen if this keeps up.”

“I know…”

“I know you’re stubborn and I know you have your reasons for being so against it, but you need it. You won’t get any better this way.”

Yuzu sighs before nodding slowly. He knows the risk of this progressing further than it already has. He knows Javi is more than willing to help him with this. Still, he can’t help but feel guilty for taking from him. 

“Come on,” Keiji grasps his shoulder, “let’s go home.”

“But—“ 

“Try,” Keiji says, “if it doesn’t help, we’ll seek another solution.”

A part of Yuzu hopes that there’ll be another solution. 

 

 

Yuzu smells Javi before he even walks through the front door. He can tell that whatever wounds Javi sustained last night, haven’t been healed yet. Immediately, he feels a wave of anger overtake him as he storms into the house. Javi yelps as Yuzu slams his bedroom door open, nearly breaking it off its hinges. 

“Yuzu—“ Javi makes to move towards him.

“Don’t.” Yuzu holds his hand out in warning. “Don’t come near me right now.”

Javi freezes. 

“God, what the hell were you thinking last night?” Yuzu hisses. “What were you even doing out there by yourself?”

“I-I’m sorry.” Javi looks down shamefully. “I was worried about you—“

“Worry about yourself! You could have died! If I hadn’t showed up—“ Yuzu chokes on his words. He doesn’t even want to think about what could have happened if he hadn’t arrived on time.

“I’m sorry. I wasn’t thinking, I know. But I was worried about you, Yuzu. I was terrified for you. I didn’t know what was going on with you. I was scared that maybe I’d never see you again.”

“That’s still no excuse for—“

“I know, I know. It was reckless and stupid.” Javi apologizes, head hung low. “Shoma scolded me for it. I messed up. I’m sorry.”

Yuzu’s moving before he can stop himself. The anger rushing out of him as soon as he pulls Javi into a hug. Javi is warm against him. Safe. “You are going to be the death of me one day, I swear.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Don’t do anything reckless anymore, please. I can’t handle it.”

Javi nods and Yuzu pulls back. Javi reaches up to touch Yuzu’s cheek. “Are you okay now? Did you feed?”

Yuzu shakes his head, brows knit together. “I tried. I couldn’t.”

Javi lifts his wrist, unwrapping the gauze to expose his wrist. It causes Yuzu to flinch. “You just said you couldn’t. So, take mine.”

“I can’t, Javi.”

“Why? You were willing to take from others? You tried, didn’t you? Why not just take my blood?”

“I can’t, I just can’t.” Yuzu says, pained. He told Keiji he'd try, but now that he's here, with Javi in front of him, he just can't. 

“It’s just blood, Yuzu. You’ve done this before. Just take it—“

“I can’t!” Yuzu tears himself away from Javi. “I can’t just take from you. It’s not just blood. It’s _your_ blood. You are my _friend_. You aren’t just some human I found on the street that I wanted. I _know_ you.”

Javi just stares at him, eyes wide.

“It’s easy to take from a stranger,” _Well, it used to be. Now I can’t stand anything. Still—“_ It’s impersonal. Before, I could feed from a person for a while, move on, forget about them, find someone else to feed on. I could forget about the way the smelled, the way they tasted because I’d have time apart to forget. But you, you’re a fixture in my life now. I see you all the time. I _care_ about you. If I were to take from you now, I wouldn’t be able to seek out anyone else. Not without leaving.”

Javi starts shaking his head in protest. 

“I can’t, Javi.” Yuzu says, quietly, brokenly, voice trembling. “I can’t.”

“Don’t seek out anyone else, then.”

“What?”

“Don’t seek out anyone else. Have me. You can have me, Yuzu.”

Yuzu can hardly understand what Javi is saying now. How can one human be so utterly insane so as to offer themselves up so willingly? To disregard the fact that this is _dangerous_? “Javi, the risk—“

“I know the risk, “Javi closes the distance between them, “I’ve thought about it. I know. But I trust you.”

“You shouldn’t—“

“I trust you with this. And I want you to trust me, too.” Javi caresses his cheek, so softly, so delicately as if _he_ were the one made of glass, “trust me. Trust that I will tell you if it’s too much. Trust that I will stop you before you get too far gone. Just trust in me.”

Yuzu stares into Javi’s eyes that sparkle like stars. The scary thing about this is that he does trust Javi. In the back of his mind, he knows that isn’t the issue. Deep down, Yuzu doesn’t trust himself. He’s afraid of himself. 

“Don’t be afraid,” Javi leans his forehead against Yuzu’s, “It’s okay, Yuzu.”

Yuzu leans closer, his arms tightening around Javi’s body. “I never wanted you to see this ugly side of me. I never wanted you to see the terrible monster that lurks inside. God knows I try so hard to fight it, but I couldn’t in the end. I lost control. I—“ 

“Hey, hey, no.” Javi rubs his thumbs against Yuzu’s cheeks in soothing circles. “Keiji told me that you could have killed that vampire. He told me that you held back. That means a part of you was strong enough to stop yourself.”

“But I wanted to. I wanted to so bad.”

“But you didn’t. It means you know how to stop, Yuzu. You can control yourself even when you think you’re too far gone.” Javi rest one hand at the base of his neck, "Sometimes what matters are the things that we don't do. The urges, the impulses we choose to fight against. You could have killed him, but you didn't."

Yuzu looks down. “It was by chance. What happens the next time? What if I don’t stop myself? What if I can’t?”

“I’ll still stand by your side to remind you that you are good.” Javi cradles his face, tenderly. “And for what it’s worth, Yuzu, you are the furthest thing from a monster. Every single part of you is beautiful, even the things you think are terrible and ugly.”

“How can you say that?” Yuzu stares at him in disbelief.

“It’s just how I feel about you. I’m not afraid of you, Yuzu.” Javi leans in to kiss his forehead. “I’d never be afraid of you.”

“Javi…”

“So, please,” Javi brings his wrist in front of Yuzu’s mouth, “take from me. Take what you need.”

Yuzu feels his fangs extend as he reaches up to hold onto Javi’s wrist, eyes fixated on the puncture wounds. He still feels a little reluctant, even as Javi's blood calls to him. He looks at Javi, “You’ll stop me if it’s too much.”

“I will stop you if it’s too much.” Javi promises. 

Yuzu swallows nervously, taking a deep breath before placing his mouth over the wound. As soon as Javi’s blood touches his tongue, Yuzu _melts_. He whimpers as he sucks harder, drawing more blood to the surface. Javi tastes better than he smells. Sweet on his tongue, as sweet as the delicious strawberries Yuzu loves. It’s addicting. Yuzu feels Javi’s fingers bury themselves in his hair. It grounds him to reality, keeps him from floating away. Yuzu takes another mouthful and pulls away, licking to seal the wound shut.

Already, he feels so much better, lighter. Javi’s warmth now lingers in his chest, in his body. It fills him with life, more than any other’s blood ever has. Yuzu falls against Javi’s chest, feeling absolutely weightless. Javi chuckles. “You okay?”

Yuzu just nods, nuzzling against him like a little kitten. He wants to be closer to Javi’s warmth. 

“Not to ruin your happy mood, but while blood may smell nice to you, it smells pretty awful to me.”

Yuzu giggles, feeling giddy all of a sudden. Maybe it’s the affects of Javi’s blood that’s making him a bit loopy, almost a little high. But he stands up, pulling Javi up with him. Javi tucks a strand of hair behind ear, “Go shower. We can cuddle more after.”

Yuzu needs no further incentive. He washes quickly, scrubbing away all the blood, the filth from his skin. He dresses in one of his soft sweaters and returns to his room to find Javi already in his bed. Yuzu joins him, curling against his side. He can feel himself coming down from the high, now edging on exhaustion. “Thank you…” He whispers, his fingers tangle in Javi’s sweater—rather, _his_ sweater.

“Sleep,” Javi brushes his bangs from his forehead, “I’ll keep you safe.”

“That should be my line,” Yuzu mumbles, sleepily, already dozing off.

“I want to protect you, too.”

Yuzu wants to say something else, but the words die on his tongue as he falls asleep in the comfort of Javi’s presence. 


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh, hey, look at that, an update. The writers block has hit hard, folks. I apologize for the lack of updates lately as a result. I also apologize because this is just 4k of filler with some development sort of.
> 
> Anyway, hope you enjoy! :)

When Javi wakes up, Yuzu is still snuggled against his side like a sleepy kitten, head tucked into his neck. He smiles at the sight. His hand comes up to brush through Yuzu’s hair. Yuzu nuzzles into the contact, seeking out Javi’s touch. It’s strange seeing Yuzu this affectionate, but Javi won’t deny that it makes him feel absolutely giddy. It’s nice having Yuzu like this, his guard down, and burrowing impossibly closer to him. To think all it took was some blood. 

There’s a faint knock on the door before Keiji pokes his head in, offering a small smile. “He’s still asleep?” Keiji nods at Yuzu.

“Yeah, he’s pretty knocked out. Should I wake him up?”

“Nah,” Keiji comes in to place a container of those magic pills on the bedside table, “let him sleep. He’s usually like this after a good feeding.”

“Wait,” Javi frowns, “he was like this with others—“

“Before you get all jealous, rest assured, Yuzu’s never snuggled with any of his human blood bags. But he’s always been very cheery, weirdly happy after feeding. Livelier than normal, often very affectionate. Mostly with us.”

“So, he’ll always be like this after he feeds?”

“Most likely. Considering it’s your blood, probably more so.”

Javi stares down at Yuzu with a gentle smile. If this is how Yuzu’s going to be after drinking some blood, Javi is more than willing to share all he has. His heart flutters in his chest as Yuzu shifts, throwing his leg around Javi and nosing against his neck. _Oh…_

“Good luck getting him to let you go now,” Keiji grins, “by the way, beware Yuzu once the high wears off. He tends to be especially grumpy.”

Keiji winks before leaving, closing the door behind him. Javi wraps his arms around Yuzu, buries his nose in his hair and sighs in contentment. Yuzu feels so warm against him. Maybe it’s the fact that he has fresh human blood in his system that makes it so, Javi doesn’t know. But he likes it. He doesn’t know when Yuzu will snap out of the daze he’s in, but Javi will take all the time he gets and make the most out of it. 

Leaning down, he presses a soft kiss to Yuzu’s eyebrow and falls back asleep with the gentle rays of the sun bathing them in golden light. 

 

 

Javi is awakened by the sound of his phone ringing. He reaches over to the bedside able to pick it up. It’s Deniss. “Javi! Where are you? You were due for your shift like an hour ago!”

“Shit,” Javi tries to sit up, but Yuzu’s arm is still firmly wrapped around his waist, preventing him from doing so. He tries to wiggle free but there’s no escaping Yuzu. “Um…sorry, Deniss. I can’t make it in today." 

“What? Why? Are you okay?” 

Javi grimaces. He hates to make Deniss worry and he feels guilty for skipping out on him. Stephane is generally very understanding, placing great emphasis on making sure his workers are well-cared for. The last thing Javi wants is to take advantage of that, but Yuzu won’t loosen his grip. Javi moves, but Yuzu makes a small noise of protests. Javi freezes as a pair of soft lips caress the back of his neck.

“Javi?”

Javi starts coughing, loudly. “Yeah, sorry, Deniss. I’m gonna have to call in sick.”

Thankfully, despite Javi’s poor acting skills. Deniss doesn’t question it further and informs him that he’ll tell Stephane and wishes him well. He hangs up the phone just as Yuzu starts nibbling along his shoulder. He feels Yuzu’s hand slide upwards, resting over his heart. He grabs it, lacing their fingers together. Yuzu hums, pleased. Javi shudders as fangs graze against his skin. “Um…Yuzu? Do you need—“

Before Javi can so much as finish his sentence, Yuzu is over him with the most blissed out smile on his face. There’s this light in his eyes that Javi’s never seen before. Infinitely tender and warm. He looks softer now, too, especially with the way the sunlight catches his hair, makes his skin glow. He’s wearing a much too big sweater that barely covers his thighs. His cheeks are dusted the cutest light pink. Javi can’t help himself and reaches out to touch him. Yuzu catches his hand, bringing it to his lips. Javi swallows hard.

Yuzu gives tiny little kitten licks, eyes locking with Javi’s. “Can I?”

“You can do whatever you want to me,.” Javi says before he can stop himself. He feels himself blush at the forward statement. Yuzu coos at him, smile growing even bigger.

Yuzu kisses Javi’s wrist delicately before biting into it. Javi flinches at the mild prickling sensation. It’s no worse than getting pricked by a needle. A little uncomfortable, but not excruciating. Not like how it’d been with the rogue vampire. Suddenly, Javi’s head is filled with images of last night. Of those menacing red eyes, that cruel smile. He remembers the fire he was met with, the horrible burning sensation that threatened to consume him from within. He gets so far into his head it barely even registers that Yuzu’s finished. He’s yanked back into the present as Yuzu kisses his forehead.

His eyes flutter open and he’s met with Yuzu’s red ones. They’re nothing like the rogue’s. A deeper red that seems to sparkle. Javi reaches up to brush his thumbs beneath them. They’re beautiful. Hypnotic. Yuzu shifts his hips and Javi hisses as Yuzu presses against his lower abdomen. “I hate to ruin the mood, but I need to pee.”

Yuzu snorts, but gets off of him. Javi is surprised when Yuzu reaches for his hand to yank him to his feet. Javi laughs breathlessly and Yuzu giggles along with him. Javi quickly goes to relieve himself in the bathroom, splashes water on his face, and is immediately jumped by Yuzu who’s been waiting outside of the bathroom apparently. Yuzu clings to him, wrapping him up in a fierce hug.

“Whoa, you okay?” Javi rubs Yuzu’s back to soothe him.

“Mm,” Yuzu nods, “are you okay?”

“Perfect.”

Yuzu steps back and places the pill container in his hand. “Make sure you take these.”

“You didn’t take that much from me. I don’t think I need—“

Yuzu presses up against him, backing him up against the wall. Javi gasps as Yuzu licks up his neck, nipping at his jaw. “I might want more.”

“I-I mean, you’re welcome to take more,” Javi threads his fingers through Yuzu’s hair, pulling him in, “you can take anything you want.”

Javi feels Yuzu smirk against him. A door down the hall opens, causing Javi to lift his head. He finds Shoma standing at the end of the hall, hair disheveled, shirt inside-out, love bites scattered all over his neck, and an all too happy smile on his face. Javi groans when Shoma takes out his phone to snap a picture of them.

“For blackmailing purposes,” Shoma grins, “for when Yuzu comes back down to earth.”

Yuzu doesn’t even seem to hear Shoma, too busy nibbling on Javi’s neck. Javi stiffens, waiting for Yuzu to bite but the moment is shattered when his stomach starts growling. _Damn it…_ Javi curses his body. Yuzu pulls away, glancing downwards curiously. “Hungry?”

“A bit…” Javi says, sheepishly. 

Yuzu nods. There’s no warning as Yuzu scoops him up in his arms, carrying him bridal style. Javi yelps, startled by the sudden movement. It was one thing when Keiji did it last night, when Javi felt like he was dying and his body felt like lead. Now, he’s very conscious and very aware of what’s going on. Yuzu smiles down at him. “Breakfast time for the human.”

In a second or less, Javi is sat in the kitchen and Yuzu is busy grabbing a jug of orange juice from the refrigerator. He pours Javi a glass, which he uses to take the pills. Javi watches as Yuzu moves around the kitchen, cracking a couple of eggs into a pan, sprinkling them lightly with salt and pepper. This is the first time he’s ever really seen Yuzu cook before. It’s almost hypnotic watching as he moves fluidly through the kitchen, placing the eggs on a plate, before laying a couple strips of bacon in the pan. While the bacon cooks, Yuzu drops two slices of toast in the toaster.

Seeing Yuzu cook for him fills hims with such unbidden happiness. It’s touching to see Yuzu go through the trouble, seeing Yuzu care for him like this. Yuzu ventures to the refrigerator again to take out the leftover strawberry shortcake. He cuts two slices, one for himself and one for Javi. He puts them on the table, before making it just in time to grab the toast as it pops out of the toaster. It’s always been fascinating watching Yuzu’s quick reflexes in action.

Yuzu carefully arranges Javi’s plate, carefully moving the eggs, then placing the bacon beneath them to form a smiley face. He spreads jam on the toast and puts it on a separate plate. He smiles, obviously pleased with himself as he sets the food down. 

“Thanks, Yuzu. It looks good. I didn’t know you could cook like this.” Javi takes a bite of bacon.

“It’s been a long time since I have.” Yuzu rests his chin in his palm, “You’re special to me, so I wanted to make the effort.”

Javi ducks his head down, suddenly shy. He knows it’s the side effect of the feeding, his blood making Yuzu likes this, but he can’t deny how nice it feels to hear that. To know Yuzu thinks he’s special, that he’s worth the extra effort. They eat in relative silence as Yuzu inhales his cake, making weird happy Yuzu noises that Javi’s used to whenever Yuzu eats his cake.

“Good?” Javi raises a brow.

“Very good. Tastes almost as good as you.”

Javi preens. He considers this a win. It’s not often anything compares to Yuzu’s favorite cake. He’s pleased to know that he’s the one thing that does. After they finish breakfast, Yuzu clears the dishes quickly, then grabs Javi to lead him over to the couch. Javi is pleasantly surprised when Yuzu pushes him to sit while he climbs into his lap. He sighs softly, moving his hands up to scratch lightly at Yuzu’s back. Yuzu shivers, lips parting as a shallow gasp slips through them. Javi likes the sound of it, so he daringly slips his hands beneath Yuzu’s sweater, delighting in the way Yuzu trembles beneath his fingertips. 

In the next second, he’s on his back, Yuzu above him, eyes flashing red once more. Javi gasps, hips jerking upwards as Yuzu bites his wrist. He’s a little disappointed in the fact that Yuzu hasn’t bitten his neck yet but he assumes that may just be for safety reasons. He relaxes as he feels the familiar tug in his veins as Yuzu sucks deeply. Yuzu takes a couple of gulps before licking the wound shut. He makes such a sight above Javi right now, cheeks flushed, eyes that gorgeous red, and blood-stained lips.

But, suddenly Yuzu collapses on top of him. Javi panics for a moment and considers yelling for Keiji but then hears Yuzu’s quiet snores. The panic fades and is replaced with overwhelming fondness. 

“I can’t believe you just crashed on me.” Javi chuckles, enveloping Yuzu in his arms. “It’s fine, though. I don’t mind.”

 

Javi’s not sure when he dozed off but when he wakes up, he finds Keiji, Shoma, and Jason taking pictures of them. He rolls his eyes. He wonders if he should start hiding all the sharp objects in the house to prevent Yuzu from stabbing them all. 

Keiji puts his camera away and grins. “Had a nice nap?”

“It was very pleasant.” Javi raises a brow. “You do know he’s going to murder you when he finds out you took pictures, right?”

Shoma snaps a couple more. “Totally worth it. It’s not every day you get to see Yuzu snuggling someone. This is a very rare occurrence. We intend to exploit the hell out of it.”

Javi snorts.

“You’re both cute, anyway. See!” Jason shows Javi a picture. Indeed, it’s a cute picture of the two of them cuddling each other on the couch, Yuzu’s hands fisted into Javi’s shirt. 

“Anyway, now that he’s reaching the final stages of his blood-high, he should be coming down soon. Which means prepare for grumpy Yuzu.”

“I look forward to it.”

Javi ends up having to keep in his laughter when Yuzu wakes up, completely back to normal. The pout he wears on his face is legendary, rivaling every child who has ever attempted to use the pout to get their way. This is so much more entertaining. Yuzu crosses his arms as he sits on the couch, refusing to meet his eyes.

“Oh, come on. It wasn’t that bad!” Javi shakes Yuzu’s shoulders, trying to get him to loosen up.

“Yeah, right. I may have been a little high but I remember everything that happened!”

“You were very cute. It’s okay. I don’t even mind that you drooled on me a little.”

“Javi!”

Javi bursts into laughter. Yuzu’s scowl deepens. Had Javi not known Yuzu, he’d probably be a little intimidated, but he does know Yuzu. And after witnessed a very high, very blissed out Yuzu, this pouty Yuzu is absolutely adorable, like an angry little kitten. Javi has to resist the urge to pat Yuzu’s head.

“In all seriousness, it wasn’t that bad," Javi leans his head on Yuzu’s shoulder, trying to make him eye contact with him, “you can’t be blamed. You were on a blood-high. It happens.”

Yuzu groans. “It hasn’t happened in some time. No one’s blood has ever really made me feel like that.”

“So, mine is the best, then?” Javi puffs his chest out like a proud sparrow.

Yuzu rolls his eyes.

“What do I taste like to you, anyway?”

Yuzu pauses, seemingly thinking about it for a second. The creases on his forehead smoothen out as his expression turns more thoughtful. “Sweet, you’re very sweet. Like fresh strawberries. Better than anything or anyone I’ve ever tasted.”

“That was very honest.”

“Considering how ‘honest’ I was while high, I really don’t think I can hide much else in regards to that.”

Javi considers that, thinking about how agonized Yuzu was last night. How he was so reluctant to take his blood because of the possibility of becoming too attached, of wanting too much. 

“What you said last night,” Javi pauses, trying to gather his thoughts. He knows this is a delicate situation, “about not being able to go to anyone else, did you mean that?”

“Yes.” Yuzu sighs. “After I left my sire, I spent a lot of time trying to regain my self-control limiting myself to a couple humans, eventually I’d settle with one at a time to limit the risk. It was a way to condition myself to take only what I needed and nothing more. But there were side effects to that, just like with anything.”

“You became too reliant on one person, too stuck, so nothing else was the same so long as you had that one person.” Yuzu nods.

“It was difficult in the beginning to control it. Sometimes,” Yuzu grimaces, his hands curling into fists, “sometimes I’d take too much. I’d slip and—“

Javi takes his hand in his, squeezing gently to reassure him. 

“You asked me once if I’ve ever killed anyone while feeding,” Yuzu takes a breath, “the answer is yes. I have. I’m not proud of it and until this very day, I feel awful for what I did to those people.” 

“It wasn’t your fault—“

“It was. I wasn’t strong enough to stop myself. I couldn’t control the thirst. And for a while, it seemed like the more I took, the more I wanted.” Yuzu squeezes Javi’s hand back. “When I was with my sire, he never really helped me control my thirst. He wanted me to embrace it. He thought it was good that I didn’t fight it.”

“No offense, but your sire sounds like a completely psycho.”

Yuzu laughs, shaking his head. “He was. He was cruel, unfeeling for human life. He didn’t care about the lives he took. He didn’t care that I was an out of control newborn. He delighted in it.”

“But you got out of that environment,” Javi lifts his other hand to tuck a strand of hair behind Yuzu’s ear, “you chose to be better, be different. You chose a different path than he did.”

“It wasn’t easy; it took me decades to change. And because of the way I was conditioned, changing myself was even harder. The instincts and urges I had were always present deep inside.” Yuzu stares down at their hands, forehead crinkling. “Even now, I don’t think those urges have fully gone away.”

“It’s in your nature. I’m sure it must be difficult,” Javi rests his hand on the side of Yuzu’s neck, “I’ll admit I’m surprised you’re telling me all this.”

“It’s because I want you to know, I want you to understand. Despite how you see me now, despite how well put-together I seem, Javi, there will always be that terrible, vile part of me somewhere inside.”

“Hey, remember what I said? You’re not a monster. Maybe that part of you still exists in you, but you’re strong. You fight against it every day even though it’s not always easy. It doesn’t define who you are, Yuzu.” Javi brings their foreheads together. “You’re beautiful the way you are.”

“You think so much of me…” Yuzu mutters.

“I do. Because it’s true and because I do like you, Yuzuru. Genuinely. I like you a lot.”

Yuzu shuts his eyes. 

“Yuzu?”

“Javi,” Yuzu places his hands on Javi’s shoulders, “the reason I’m being honest with you like this is because I need to know I can trust you. I want to trust you.”

“What do you mean?”

“I don’t want your feelings for me to cloud your judgement,” Yuzu’s grip tightens, “You tune out all of my bad traits because of that. But I need you to keep your head clear.”

Javi frowns, not understanding.

“I can’t feed from anyone else now. It’s just you. Only you. You understand this, don’t you?”

Javi nods, slowly.

“I told you about my past because I don’t want you to become another casualty,” Yuzu grimaces, “I don’t—I can’t lose you. You’re important to me. I’d never forgive myself if I—“

“Hey, hey,” Javi tries to soothe him, keep him from spiraling, “I understand. But I trust you, Yuzu. I told you that before.”

“And I want to trust you. I want to trust that you will not let your feelings get in the way. Despite what you think of me, there is always a possibility I could slip up. I need you to keep your head clear enough to stop me. Do you understand?” Yuzu opens his eyes, staring at Javi intently. 

Javi suddenly feels the weight of Yuzu’s words. It’s heavy to bear. For Javi, he trusts Yuzu completely with himself, but he sees that despite the control Yuzu has, there’s always going to be this underlying fear of that control shattering. It’s not an irrational fear, especially considering what Javi’s learned about Yuzu’s past. It hits Javi that it’s not just his own well-being he’s looking out for, it’s Yuzu’s humanity, his sanity. It’s not just about putting his life in Yuzu’s hands. Yuzu’s doing much the same by entrusting Javi with this. 

He meets Yuzu’s gaze head on. “I understand.”

“I need you to care about yourself. I need you to care about your own life, your own safety. If you can’t—“

“I will,” Javi cuts him off. “I promise. For you, Yuzu, I will.”

Yuzu visibly relaxes, shoulders sagging and all tension releasing from his body. Javi cradles him close, pressing a quick, discreet kiss against his cheek. Yuzu’s digs his fingers into Javi’s shoulder, shifting closer. There’s a knot forming in Javi’s chest that seems to tighten the longer they hold onto each other, but he’s not willing to let Yuzu go. He can’t. 

* * *

Coming down from a blood high always somehow feels worse than getting over a bad hangover. Yuzu’s limbs feel heavy, his head is fuzzy with an ever present headache from sensory overload. His senses always become so much more amplified after a good feeding. Sounds blend together in his head, scents threaten to make him nauseous, and he can see every single dust particle floating in the air. His skin is extra sensitive, causing him to respond to the faintest, fleeting touches.

Having Javi here helps, gives him something to focus on, something to concentrate all his senses on. Javi is warm and solid beneath him, and as he reaches out to trace his fingers across Yuzu’s features, Yuzu feels like Javi's leaving a trail of fire in his wake that's just this side of too much. His scent surrounds him, envelopes him, and fills him until everything else fades away. Until all Yuzu can smell is Javi’s intoxicating scent. All Yuzu can hear is Javi’s heart beat, the way it races the longer he touches Yuzu. He hears the blood rushing through Javi’s veins and is tempted to lean down, to run his tongue along them. 

It’s been so long since he’s ever felt such a strong pull towards a person. It’s almost terrifying how much of a hold Javi has over him. And yet, Yuzu knows it’s too late to turn back now.There’s always the option to run away, to distance himself and hope that he learns to forget Javi, just like he’s done with any other human. But Javi isn’t just any human. He’s special. Infinitely precious. Yuzu knows there’s no running away this time. 

“You know,” Yuzu closes his eyes as Javi murmurs into his hair, “I should let you know that your friends took pictures of you when you were high.”

Yuzu scoffs. “Of course they did. They’re assholes.”

“I hid all the sharp objects…”

Yuzu lifts his head, feigning mock betrayal. “And here I thought you were my partner in crime. How am I supposed to murder them without a good pencil?”

Javi laughs, loudly, shaking them both. Yuzu can’t help but smile in return. It feels good to hear Javi laugh. It feels good to be able to relax like this after everything that happened. 

“So, now that you’re feeling better, I wanted to ask you if I could take you out on an actual date.”

“Oh?” Yuzu smiles, amused. 

“I mean, I’ll probably have to bust ass tomorrow for ditching today, but maybe after—“

Yuzu frowns. “I’m sorry, did you miss work because of me?”

“It’s okay, really.” Javi says, quickly. “I told Deniss I was sick. And I mean, I won’t lie. I really enjoyed the bed cuddles.”

 Yuzu whines, burying his face in hands in embarrassment. He knows he tends to be a little clingy when he’s on a blood high. He also remembers very vividly of the things he did, wrapping himself around Javi like a koala. Heat creeps up his neck and explodes in his cheeks.

Javi chuckles. “You are adorable.”

“I’m a vampire. I’m not supposed to be adorable.” 

“Tough luck,” Javi pokes the tip of his nose, causing Yuzu to wrinkle his nose, “that’s what you are. Adorable. Cute. Pretty. Absolutely beautiful.”

“Javi!”

“Gorgeous, breathtaking—Mmph!” Yuzu smacks his hand over Javi’s mouth, preventing him from saying anything further, but Yuzu can see the mirth in his eyes. 

“You’re so embarrassing.”

Javi’s eyes crinkle in a bright smile that Yuzu can feel beneath his hand. He rolls eyes, ignoring the warmth bubbling in his chest, that’s gradually and steadily spreading throughout his body. He huffs, “Anyway, what were you saying about a date?”

“Well, I was thinking of inviting you over for a nice home cooked meal and then maybe watching some Netflix after?”

Yuzu narrows his eyes, suspiciously. “Shoma told me once what that means…”

“I assure you, my intentions are entirely pure. But,” Javi wiggles his eyebrows playfully, “I wouldn’t say no if you wanted to…chill.”

“You’re ridiculous.” 

“Seriously, though,” Javi takes his hands, “I’d really like to have a proper date with you. It’s all I’ve wanted since the day I met you.”

Yuzu looks down, playing with their fingers. “And if we go on this date, if this develops into something more, your feelings—“

“I told you, I’ll take care of myself. I promise you, I will not let my feelings for you blind me. I understand your fear, but I want you to know you can trust me. Always.”

Yuzu nods. The scary thing is that he does trust Javi and Yuzu’s never been one to trust people so easily like this. 

“Okay, I’ll go on a date with you.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.”

Javi beams. “Prepare yourself, Hanyu. I’m fully ready to sweep you off your feet.”

Yuzu’s lips twitch upwards. “Oh yeah?”

“I may not be a witch but I fully intend to put a spell on you.”

That causes Yuzu to snort before bursting into giggles that fill the room. He shakes his head, reach out to pinch Javi’s nose. “You’re terrible. That was terrible.”

“Ah, but it made you laugh, so I consider that a success.”

Yuzu knocks his knuckles against Javi’s forehead fondly before leaning forward to rest against him. Javi brings his arms around him, encircling his waist. “Mm, well, since you’ve got nothing to do today. You’re going to be my pillow.”

“Wow, such an honor.” 

“It is. You’re so lucky.”

Yuzu smiles against Javi’s neck. He purrs as fingers come up to play with his hair, scratching lightly at his scalp. His eyes slowly drift closed, brain switching off as Javi hums an unfamiliar tune against him. Yuzu finds that he wants this to last forever. 

 


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh, look at that. An update! I apologize for the long wait. Studies and writers block are the current bane of my existence. That being said, I struggled with writing this chapter and I'm just happy I managed to finally get it out there. Hopefully, it's not too crap even though it's kind of more filler?? 
> 
> This isn't edited, so I apologize in advance for mistakes. 
> 
> Enjoy! :)

Yuzu fiddles with the sleeves of dark blue cardigan, rolling and unroll the sleeves, as he takes in his reflection in the mirror.He only has a thin, white v-neck shirt beneath, not so different from his normal attire but Yuzu think it’s a little unnecessary to dress in a full suit and tie when he’s only going to Javi’s place for dinner. This will just have to do. 

At least if he’s dressed like it’s a normal day, he can pretend it’s a normal day. 

Truth be told, Yuzu doesn’t know what the hell he’s doing. He and Javi have been planning this for at least a week now, reworking their schedules—Javi having to make up for the hours spent taking care of Yuzu, and Yuzu getting the bookstore back in order. Up until now, Yuzu’s been a complete, nervous wreck. With every day that crept closer, the tighter the knot in his stomach grew. 

It’s ridiculous to feel this way, Yuzu knows. It’s not like he’s never been to Javi’s apartment before. It’s certainly not the first time they’ve ever been alone together. And yet, Yuzu can’t shake the anxiety that’s been building over the week. Yuzu being Yuzu did his research, looked through blogs, books, and articles about first dates and dating in general but they were all garbage. Nothing he read really eased his troubles, but rather seemed to amplify them.

Yuzu takes one last look at himself, pushes his bangs out of his face before giving up. _This is as good as it’s going to get_ , he sighs. He’s ambushed the moment he gets downstairs. This is no surprise. His friends have been pestering him about date details since they found out it was actually happening.

“Are you seriously going dressed like that?” Shoma wrinkles his nose in distaste, “You could’ve at least put a little more effort.”

Yuzu rolls his eyes. “It’s dinner at his apartment. It’s not like we’re going to a five star restaurant. And Javi said to be comfortable.”

“Still, you could’ve at least done your hair, wear a nice button-down—“

“He looks fine.” Keiji cuts in, stepping forward to fix a fold in Yuzu’s cardigan, “You look good. Although, those bags…”

Yuzu touches the tender skin beneath his eyes, briefly. Truthfully, he hasn’t been getting a lot of sleep lately. Whether it’s a side affect of Javi’s blood or just Yuzu’s nerves, he isn’t sure. But there’s always this current of electricity buzzing beneath his skin, this bubbling feeling in his chest that feels like it’s going to burst any moment. It’s foreign, strange, and just the slightest bit terrifying because Yuzu doesn’t know what to make of it or what it means.

“Hey, at least if he needs blood, Javi’s already there, so—“ Keiji shoots Shoma a glare to shut him up, “Sorry, sorry. Not appropriate.”

The mention of Javi’s blood stirs something inside of him, something that causes him to lick his lips, unconsciously. He can almost taste it, the flavor lingering on his tongue even though it’s been a week since he took any blood from Javi. He still remembers vividly how warm and sweet it was, how—Yuzu pinches himself to stop his thoughts from escalating further.

Yuzu winces. “Maybe this is a mistake. Maybe we shouldn’t—“

“Hey, hey,” Keiji stops him, placing his hands on his shoulder, “relax, okay? It’s Javi, Yuzu. You know him. He knows you. You don’t have to worry. He’ll take care of you.”

“Yeah, I mean that poor fool is so smitten with you,” Shoma shakes his head, “I don’t think there’s much else you can do to make him _more_ smitten.”

“Some flowers would be nice, maybe?” Jason offers. “Maybe a bouquet of roses! Something sweet—“

“Wait, do I need flowers? Should I get flowers? What kind of flowers?” Panic wells up inside as Yuzu starts pacing. “Or maybe chocolates? Do I even need to bring him a gift? Is that what people do on first dates? Fuck, I’m already messing up, aren’t I? I don’t—“

“Yuzuru!”

Yuzu snaps his jaw shut, looking up at Keiji with wild, wide eyes. His hands are shaking and he feels like he’s going to pass out, his lungs constricting, painfully, heart pumping so fast it feels like it’s going to burst out of his chest. 

“Listen, there’s no right or wrong way to do this. Here,” Keiji places a box in his hands, “take this with you and put this in the refrigerator as soon as you get there. It’s a little something for dessert.”

Yuzu nods, numbly.

“All you need to do tonight is just be yourself. Have fun. Don’t think so much, okay? You’ll be fine.”

Yuzu takes Keiji’s words with him, letting them soothe him as he takes the bus to Javi’s apartment. He gets there faster than he’d like, thoughts still in disarray and stomach flip-flopping. He clears his throat as he steps up to Javi’s door, knocking timidly. Javi answers shortly after.

Javi is dressed in a creamy white sweater and jeans. His hair is a little damp, probably from a shower earlier. Yuzu can smell the unique scent of Javi’s shampoo, something fresh and minty, and just this side of being overpowering. Looking Javi over, Yuzu is forced to grudgingly admit that he looks good.

A grin stretches across Javi’s lips, teeth gleaming as he steps aside to let Yuzu in. Yuzu closes his eyes as he smells something creamy waft in from the kitchen. He hums, absentmindedly.

“Oh, you like it?” Javi asks, wrapping an arm around his waist to lead him into the kitchen. “I wanted to try my hand at making some pasta. It’s chicken Alfredo.”

“It smells good.” Yuzu says, taking in another whiff, before remembering Keiji’s dessert “Oh, here. Keiji said to keep it in the fridge.”

Javi takes it, peaks inside curiously, before lighting up. “Gonna have to really thank Keiji.”

Javi puts the dessert away before leading Yuzu to sit at the kitchen table. It’s set with a pristine white table cloth, a vase with half a dozen red roses, and a couple of small candles. Yuzu swallows. 

“Here,” Javi pulls out Yuzu’s chair, “have a seat. Dinner’s almost ready.”

Yuzu nods before leaning over to inspect the various table decorations. He picks up a fallen petal, holds it up to his nose and inhales deeply. The intoxicating scent makes his blood pump faster, hotter in his veins, makes his head a little lighter. The bubbling feeling in his chest expands slowly as he takes in everything Javi’s set up.

His knees bounces restlessly despite his efforts to keep still. His fingers drum against the table, softly, rattling the silverware. Eventually, Javi comes back, setting down two bowls of steaming pasta and a bowl of salad for them each. Once everything is served, Javi sits down across from Yuzu, lifting his gaze to offer a gentle smile.

Yuzu can’t help but offer one back. Almost immediately, the knot in his gut starts to ease. It’s Javi. There’s nothing to be nervous about. He feels silly for being so worked up in the first place. He should have known better. The tension dissipates somewhat as they make small talk. It’s comfortable, much more familiar territory, as if nothing’s changed between them, as if they’re back to the way they were before that terrible night. Javi tells him about the three new strawberry recipes he wants to try out if Stephane will let him. Yuzu in turns talks about rearranging his bookstore for the upcoming Halloween season. 

“I didn’t know you were into Halloween,” Javi’s eyes spark with mirth, crinkling at the edges, “should we plan a Halloween date? Go trick-or-treating?”

Yuzu rolls his eyes. “I’m doing this for business purposes, you dork. And isn’t trick-or-treating for children?”

“Hey, you are never too old for candy.”

“And what exactly do you propose we go dressed up as?” Yuzu takes a sip of water.

“Obviously, we’ll do a little role reversal. I’ll be your Edward and you can be my Bella.”

Yuzu chokes, hardly able to keep in his laughter at the image that conjures in his mind. But of course Javi would default to _Twilight_. It's incredible how Javi manages to bring Yuzu back down so easily. The warmth lingering in Yuzu’s body is pleasant now, not so consuming. They carry on like that, bouncing ridiculous ideas off of each other and having fun. Yuzu likes this.

At some point, Javi reaches across the table, his fingers brushing against Yuzu’s. It sends tingles up his arm. “Are you okay? You looked like you were going to bolt on me earlier.” Javi slots their fingers together. 

“I’m fine. It’s just—“ Yuzu gestures at the table, everything, “this is different.”

“It must’ve been some time for you, huh?”

_Oh_ , Yuzu flushes. It’s not exactly what he meant. But of course Javi would assume he’s had some experience. He’s been around for three hundred years or so, by all means, he _should_ have gone on a date at some point or had a relationship of some sort. Yet, it’s never happened.

For the longest time, it’s never been something that Yuzu’s particularly cared about, too busy trying to keep himself in check, trying to keep his sire out of his head. He’d closed himself off for centuries, unable to open up to anyone in the way he’s done with Javi. When you’ve been conditioned to always wear an unbreakable suit of armor, allowing yourself to be made vulnerable does not come easy. It’s terrifying.

“For what it’s worth,” Javi quirks a grin, “I’m glad you haven’t actually bailed on me and snuck out the window.”

“Did that happen to you?”

“A couple of times, yeah. I’ve definitely gone on my share of bad dates.”

“Yeah?” Yuzu raises a brow, curiosity piqued.

“I was so awkward during my high school years, typical hormonal teenage boy. Dating was nerve-wracking and I may have scared off a couple dates by being a wreck.”

“How’s this one going for you?” Yuzu asks, quietly, tilting his head as he watches Javi trace patterns against his skin.

“Honestly? Really well.” Javi smiles. “I enjoy being with you. I’m nervous, for sure. But I’m comfortable, you know?’

Yuzu gets that part, at least. He’s still a little jittery but he feels much more settled.

“What about you, huh? I’m sure you’ve got a ton of crazy dating stories.”

“Really? Is this appropriate conversation for a first date?” Yuzu laughs, albeit a little shakily. 

“Oh, come on! It’s all in good fun. The past is in the past. It’s good to look back at our blunders and laugh sometimes. So, shoot.” Javi squeezes his hand. “I promise you, I won’t judge.”

“There’s nothing to really say.”

How is he supposed to tell Javi he’s actually a three-hundred year old virgin with no dating history whatsoever? He knows what humans think of vampires, how they’re depicted as these hyper-sexualized, promiscuous, lustful creatures that prey on humans and indulge in carnal pleasures. Yuzu’s met many vampires that _do_ fall into that stereotype but like with most things, that isn’t the case for all of them.

He’s never been ashamed or embarrassed about his lack of a love life before, content to focus on himself and making sure _he’s_ stable enough to even function as a person. But now, he wishes he had something to fall back on, something to refer back to so as to make himself less vulnerable, naked. 

“Really?” Javi raises a brow. “No crazy or embarrassing stories?”

Yuzu shakes his head, refusing to meet his gaze.

“How many have you been on? I won’t get upset, I promise.”

“One…” Yuzu mutters.

“One…hundred?”

Yuzu remains silent, poking at the remaining pieces of chicken with his fork. 

“You’ve been around for a while, so one thousand? I mean, you’re beautiful, of course many would fall for you. What—“

“No, no.” Yuzu drops his fork to place both hands on Javi’s. “Just one. As in, you. You are my one.”

“I—what?”

“I’ve never been on a date prior to tonight. I’ve never had anything remotely close to one either.” Yuzu exhales, quickly, shoulders hunching over as if preparing for a blow.

“Oh,” Javi makes a sort of punched out noise that makes Yuzu look up. Javi’s eyes widen for a brief moment before going unbearably soft. He ducks his head down, cheeks flushing as the sweetest smile Yuzu has ever seen forms on his face, one that melts Yuzu from the inside. “I’m your first.”

“Yes.”

Javi reaches across to brush his fingers against Yuzu’s flushed cheek. “I see. Well, in that case, I am honored to be your first.”

“You don’t think it’s weird?” 

“Of course not.” Javi tucks a strand of hair behind Yuzu’s ear, fingers grazing against it. “You’re perfect the way you are. It doesn’t change the way I feel about you.”

Yuzu bites his lip, the ever expanding warmth now growing ten times larger, feeling like a ballroom ready to pop. It’s just this side of terrifying. Centuries worth of instincts tell him to fight against this, to stop whatever this warmth is from spreading further, but Yuzu wants it. 

He doesn’t know where all this will lead, and he can’t deny the underlying current of fear he feels. Despite being free from his sire, despite having been free from that environment for so long, old habits die hard.

_‘You don’t belong to the light anymore, Yuzuru. Why can’t you understand? It’s not for beings like us. It’ll blind you.’_ His sire’s words echo in his head, putting a chill in his veins, stopping the warmth from spreading further.

_‘You are an immortal being. My heir. Emotions have no place for beings like us. They will become your weakness and you will be destroyed. Turn them off. Let them go—‘_

Yuzu gasps, jolting back to the present as Javi takes his face between his hands. He doesn’t know when Javi moved, but now he’s kneeling in front of him. “Hey, you back with me?”

Yuzu nods, shakily.

“You don’t have to be afraid, Yuzu. I told you, right? I’ll take care of you.”

Yuzu falls into his arms. His sire’s words weigh heavily on his heart. He clutches onto Javi tighter as a result, in fear of him slipping away. He allows Javi’s gentle hand to soothe his worries, allows Javi to run his fingers through his hair, allows him to plant tiny, soothing kisses onto his forehead, his nose, his cheeks.

His fingers tangle in Javi’s shirt, pulling him closer. _‘Destroy the weakness before it destroys you.’_ Yuzu tightens his grip.

“I got you,” Javi whispers, cradling the back of his neck, “I got you.

Yuzu believes him. 

 

 

At some point, they find themselves in the living room, sitting on the floor, backs against the couch. Javi places Keiji’s dessert on the table—a box of chocolate covered strawberries, bless Keiji—on the coffee table before turning on his stereo, allowing some sort of soft jazz song to filter through the speakers. They don’t really talk about what happened in the kitchen, Yuzu isn’t ready to have that talk yet, and Javi doesn’t pressure him. 

“Here,” Javi picks a strawberry from the box, “open.”

“You realize this is entirely cheesy, right?” Yuzu giggles, yet still leaning forward to take a bite.

“I am the master of all things cheesy!”

“No kidding.” Yuzu picks up one and holds it out for Javi. “Well, I guess it’s only fair that I feed you now, since you fed me.”

Javi bursts into laughter. “Oh my God! And you call _me_ bad!”

Yuzu grins, despite the lingering cold in his blood. He pushes the remaining dark thoughts back, locking them in the darkest recesses of his mind, where they belong. It doesn’t matter, not when Javi’s here, laughing easily and making Yuzu smile in return. He wants more of Javi’s light, wants more of the cheesy jokes, and just more _Javi_. 

They finish off the box of strawberries soon enough, chocolate staining their fingers and lips. They giggle as they wipe smudges of chocolate off each other’s face. Javi sighs as he leans back against the couch, patting his full stomach. “I really have to get a gift basket for Keiji.”

“He’s been incredibly supportive of all of this,” Yuzu bravely scoots closer to lean against Javi’s shoulder, “more than he’s been of, well, anything.”

“I’m glad he is. I’m glad you have someone like him by your side.”

“If it weren’t for him, I don’t think I’d even be here right now.” Yuzu reaches down to play with Javi’s fingers. “He found me when I was at my lowest. He helped me escape my sire, protected me, and became my most trusted friend. I owe him more than I can say.”

“For sure then, we need to get Keiji a gift basket.”

Yuzu smiles, settling against Javi’s side, content to just sit here with him. Eventually, the song on the stereo changes, soft guitar playing in the background. Javi starts humming, chest rumbling as Yuzu lays his head against it. Soon, Javi starts shifting, causing Yuzu to sit up to eye him, curiously. He just grins and stands up, holding his hand out. 

“What?” Yuzu raises a brow.

“Dance with me.”

“Seriously?”

“Yes, seriously. What’s a date without some slow dancing?” Javi bows, slightly, hand still open, “may I have this dance?”

Yuzu snorts, but decides to play along with it. He takes Javi’s hand, allows Javi to move them, swaying side to side. Javi lowers his hands to Yuzu’s waist as Yuzu places his hands on Javi’s shoulders. Despite how cheesy this is, Yuzu feels the warmth slowly returning, melting the ice. It’s almost a relief. Yuzu leans in to rest against Javi’s chest, closing his eyes as he listens to Javi’s heartbeat. Javi wraps his arms around Yuzu, holding him closer so that their bodies are completely pressed against each other.

Yuzu noses against Javi’s neck, inhaling to take in Javi’s scent. His fingers curl into the fabric of Javi’s shirt. He feels more than hears Javi chuckle. “I believe this is the part where you bite me.” 

Yuzu quirks a grin against Javi’s neck, peppering the skin there with little kisses. It’s tempting, he can _hear_ Javi’s blood pumping in his veins. Javi reaches up to scratch at the back of his scalp, Yuzu melts at the action. “Go ahead,” Javi whispers, tilting his neck further.

Yuzu shakes his head, pulling away to take Javi’s wrist. There’s still too much risk going for the neck. This is safer. Yuzu feels safer. He bites down as softly as he can, takes no more than a few gulps, but it’s enough. He already feels the strong effects of Javi’s blood. It flushes out the remaining ice. Javi looks at him through hooded eyes as he lifts a hand to swipe at the corner of Yuzu’s lips. His pupils dilate as he touches his thumb to Yuzu’s lips, then darken as Yuzu licks at the remaining blood. 

Suddenly, Javi shakes his head, as if coming out of a trance. He smiles, softly, that typical Javi smile, and leans forward to press their foreheads together. “I want to call you beautiful but I think I’ve killed the word when it comes to you. It’s not enough to describe you.”

“Cheesy…” Yuzu shakes his head, fondly.

Javi hums. “Just being honest.”

The comfortable warmth that always accompanies Javi seems to wrap around Yuzu like a protective cocoon, keeping him safe. As Yuzu inhales, carding his fingers through Javi’s curls, he feels the rest of the world fall away. 

* * *

Javi’s had his fair share of relationships over the years, some of which were wonderful. But none of them, absolutely none of them have ever been like the one he now shares with Yuzu. The ease in which they seem to connect with each other, how comfortable everything is, how Yuzu makes Javi feel like he’s glowing. It’s still so new and fragile and nothing has been officially been set in stone for them, but it works. It’s enough for now. Javi’s content to go at Yuzu’s pace.

After the first date, Yuzu’s become much more open. There’s still this lingering tension in Yuzu that Javi can’t quite ease. He understands that there are parts of Yuzu’s past that he’s still left in the dark about, but he gets it. He knows these things take time and the path Yuzu took to get to where he is now was not an easy one. He’ll tell Javi when he’s ready and that’s fine. 

They’ve gone on a lot of sweet dates since then, often either hanging out at Javi’s apartment to play video games or choosing a random food place in town, nothing particularly fancy. Javi finds that he likes this and Yuzu seems to like this, too. The casualness of their dates, how it isn’t made into something unnecessarily big even though it feels like the world is shifting beneath Javi’s feet with every date. With every date, Yuzu moves just a little closer. And with every date, Javi has to stomp down the growing urge to shout out his feelings.

His feelings aren’t a surprise. He’s known for a while, yet the emotions that have been welling up inside of him lately feel like they’re reaching a breaking point. It’s like he _needs_ to tell Yuzu how he feels or he’ll die. It’s dramatic, he knows. Yet, that’s exactly how Yuzu makes him feel.

It’s difficult to hold it back now as he lingers in Yuzu’s bookstore. He’s watching as Yuzu interacts with a mother and her young daughter. Despite appearing grumpy and antisocial, Yuzu’s great with people. His smile is friendly and open as he converses with them animatedly. Javi’s heart grows three sizes as Yuzu kneels down to the little girl’s level to listen to what she has to say, looking at her directly in the eyes. Yuzu nods along, eyes bright and so, so beautiful. He watches as Yuzu helps ring up their purchases, then wishes them a good day. 

Later, Javi treats Yuzu to an ice cream date. If there’s one thing that makes Yuzu’s happy, it’s sweets. His face lights up like a child during Christmas when presented with something sweet and Javi is more than happy to indulge him. He also finds that it’s the best way to get Yuzu to loosen up. It’s not exactly to the same extent as Yuzu being on a blood high—though, those are quite fun, too—but Javi enjoys himself all the same. 

At the end of the week, Javi invites Yuzu back to his place for pizza and video games where they end up trying to destroy each other in Mario Kart. Yuzu takes five out of seven but Javi’s determined on getting his revenge. He saves the best course for last—that damn Rainbow Road—but Javi’s an expert at this course. 

“This course is so cursed, why would you do this to us?” Yuzu whines as he falls off the side of the road. “Damn it!”

“Hah! Don’t complain because you’re losing!” 

Javi’s got a comfortable lead now with Yuzu trailing in last place after falling off the road. He’s confident he can absolutely crush Yuzu this time. That is until Yuzu picks up an item, and not just any item. A blue shell. The destroyer of dreams. Javi gulps.

“Yuzu, wait, let’s talk about this…”

“Too late for talking. I’m about to steal gold.” Yuzu cackles maniacally, fingers poised over the release button. “Any last words?”

“Listen—“

“Time’s up!” Yuzu presses the button and Javi groans as he’s nailed by the blue shell and gets blown right off the road, which of course gives Yuzu the opportunity to claim first place.“Take that!”

Javi pouts, “I can’t believe I’ve been betrayed by my own boyfriend—shit uh.”

Time freezes. 

Yuzu’s mouth gapes open. Javi swallows thickly at his own blunder. He hadn’t meant for it to slip out. They haven’t discussed labels in their relationship yet, and Javi doesn’t know how comfortable Yuzu is with the term. It’s one thing to be “just dating” and another thing to be “boyfriends.” Yuzu’s controller slips and clatters onto the floor, snapping him out of it. 

“Boyfriend?” Yuzu squeaks. 

“S-sorry. I-it was an accident. I didn’t mean—“ Javi pauses, “Okay, well, yes, I did mean it. I mean, I would really like it. But if you’re not ready for that step, we don’t have to.”

“I-I’m okay with it.” Yuzu’s voice is so soft, Javi barely catches it. But it makes his heart stutter all the same. 

“You’re…you’re okay with it? I don’t want to pressure you just because I said it. I don’t want you to be uncomfortable.”

“I’m okay with it.” Yuzu says, a little firmer this time, despite the tinge of fear he sees in Yuzu’s dark eyes.

“Um…okay, so, we’re official? Boyfriends?”

Yuzu nods, his cheeks flushing the cutest shade of pink. 

It feels like a load has been lifted off of Javi’s chest. He’d been so scared that he’d just fucked everything up but he’s relieved that Yuzu seems to be accepting of this new step. Javi’s got enough experience for the both of them with this, but he’s also willing to follow Yuzu’s lead, to let him fall at his own pace. Javi’s already cut the parachute strings and is free falling at this point. It’s risky, allowing himself to fall like this, but despite the storms he’ll most likely have to weather, he knows in his heart that Yuzu is worth it. 

With the status of their relationship in order, it allows them to fall back into their normal rhythm. They continue to play games and pig out on pizza. Yuzu uses the blue shell on him a couple more times, because unfortunately, a change in relationship status does not mean Javi gets shown any leniency when it comes to games. 

They continue to game until Yuzu starts yawning, rubbing at his eyes tiredly. Javi glances at the clock. It’s close to midnight and they’ve been at this for the past four hours. So, Javi lets them finish up their current and last round, before calling it quits. Yuzu sways as he stands up, looking like he’s ready to fall over. Javi chuckles. “You alright there, sleepy head?” He ruffles Yuzu’s hair, fondly.

“Mm, it’s very tiring kicking your ass.”

Javi snorts. “Rude. I offer my home, let you use my favorite controller, and this what I get? Where is the respect?”

Yuzu just giggles, eyes and nose scrunching up. Javi loops an arm around his waist to tug him closer, knocking their heads together gently. “You wanna sleep over?” 

“Umm…” Javi feels Yuzu stiffen.

“I didn’t mean like that, silly. I’ll take the couch if you’re not comfortable sleeping in the same bed—“

“No, no. It’s fine.” Yuzu waves him off. “We’ve done that before.”

Javi considers him for second, checking Yuzu’s body language to see if he truly means what he's saying or if he’s just saying it to ease Javi’s worry. Yuzu can’t seem to stop twitching and fiddling with his fingers, but there’s no reluctancy in his eyes. Mostly, Yuzu just looks tired. 

So, Javi leads him to the bathroom to wash up, provides Yuzu with an oversized shirt and sweatpants. It’s kind of cute seeing Yuzu drowning in Javi’s clothes, his hair damp after his shower, and cheeks lightly flushed. They turn down the covers together and get in on their respective sides of the bed. Yuzu on the right and Javi on the left. Javi switches off the light and they’re plunged into darkness, the only light trickling in from the window. 

Javi dares to move closer, wrapping an arm around Yuzu but making no move to pull him closer. “Is this okay?” Javi asks, softly. 

“It’s okay.” Yuzu shuffles backward so that Javi’s pressed up against his back. 

Javi breathes out a light sigh before pressing a light kiss to the back of Yuzu’s head. Here, in the safety of Javi’s room, with the darkness surrounding them, and Yuzu so close to him, Javi feels those emotions start to bubble back to the surface. Yuzu’s breathing evens out until all Javi can hear are his tiny snores. Moving as carefully as he can, Javi pushes up slightly to kiss Yuzu’s temple, and whispers the words he knows in his heart that Yuzu isn’t ready to hear. 

Yet, those words the truest thing in his heart right now. 


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! So...uh...this chapter kinda got away from me lol. Many things happen. There's some fluff, a little angst, and....something else?? I guess we can consider this plot now, though! Anyway, hope you enjoy! :) 
> 
>  
> 
> This one's dedicated to the lovely cornerstones and my enabler, ForeverDoesn'tExist. <3 YOU BOTH! 
> 
> Unfortunately, this is not edited. Excuse my lazy ass.

_Boyfriend._

The word lingers in Javi’s head a lot these days. It fills him with the utmost happiness whenever he thinks about it, about Yuzu. It’s only been a week since they’ve established this new step in their relationship and Javi’s been floating with this happiness that hovers around him as he goes about his days, humming to himself like the sap he is. He walks with an extra spring in his step and finds it difficult to stop smiling like an idiot. 

“You look like you’re in La La Land again,” Deniss elbows him as they’re setting up their pumpkin themed cupcakes display, “I take it things are going well with Yuzuru?”

“Very well, actually.”

“That’s good to hear, Javi. I’m glad it worked out. It was getting a little sad seeing you stare out the window every day.”

“Well, thank _you_ for encouraging me to take the chance.” 

“You look good together. And Yuzuru looks really happy these days.” Deniss looks pointedly across the street. Javi follows his line of sight.

There, in the window of the bookstore, Javi sees Yuzu hanging up some fake spider webs. Hung along the edge of the window are purple lights that blink in varying patterns. It’s absolutely endearing to see Yuzu take so much care in decorating his shop for Halloween. The bakery itself is heavily decked out for the season; orange and black streamers hang from the walls, shiny silver and purple garland lines the counters, and the windows are all decorated with Halloween themed gel stickers.

All the decorations just make Javi all the more excited for his and Yuzu’s joint Halloween date with Shoma and Jason. It had taken some convincing from all parties involved to get Yuzu to agree, but eventually they wore him down and he agreed to going to the town’s Halloween fair. It’s just two weeks away and Javi can’t wait.

Javi must stare too long because Yuzu seems to sense him and lifts his head from where he’s attaching spiders to the fake web. A slow smile forms upon Yuzu’s pretty pink lips as he gives a small wave, his fingers just barely peeking through the long sleeves of his powder blue sweater. Javi waves back much more enthusiastically. Yuzu rolls his eyes before making a shooing gesture, mouthing ‘get back to work.’

Javi fake pouts.

Yuzu sticks his tongue at him before stepping away from the window to return to his duties. Javi stares for just a few moments more. Deniss shoulders him, making a comment about how disgustingly cute they are. Javi playfully whacks him on the head with a baking tray before turning to the kitchen to get another batch of cupcakes.

He can’t help the grin that remains stubbornly in place the rest of the day. 

 

At the end of his shift, Javi takes over a couple of strawberry cupcakes to Yuzu’s store. Yuzu’s eyes light up the moment he spots the familiar white box in his hands. He shoves the cart of books on the side to get to Javi. Javi sets down the box, takes out a plate, and carefully places the two cupcakes on it. Yuzu inhales his as he usually does, not leaving a trace of cupcake behind. Javi chuckles, fondly, as Yuzu hums happily.”Good?”

“The best!” Yuzu beams, licking the corners of his lips to get the remaining frosting.

“I’m happy to know my baking pleases you so much.”

“Of course! I’ve been around for hundreds of years and I’ve never had dessert as good as yours. I don’t know how you do it.”

Javi puffs up his chest, proudly. “I guess it’s just my magical touch.”

“Wouldn’t that be a plot twist? You turning out to be some magical baking witch.”

Javi laughs.

After their short break, Javi helps Yuzu finish the rest of his book cart. A bunch of Halloween themed books-all about monsters, magic, and spooky stories. Yuzu explains that he usually keeps them in the very back, but knows they tend to sell well during this time of the year, so he wants to be able to put them on display. People go crazy for the spooky stuff, then forget all about it after Halloween has passed.

“Is any of this stuff legit at all?” Javi flips through a supposed guide about vampires, stopping at a chapter about warding off vampires. “I’m pretty certain garlic isn’t much of a vampire deterrent.”

“Garlic just smells really strong, but it’s not like it’ll kill us.” Yuzu says, organizing a small display of monster books. “There really isn’t much you can do to ward us off. We go where we want to go.”

“So, you’re like a cat, then?”

Yuzu laughs. “I guess that’s close enough.”

Javi continues to leaf through the book, occasionally asking questions, most of which Yuzu debunks-no, stakes to the heart won’t kill a vampire, neither will holy water or silver bullets-and Javi takes a mental note of everything he’s being told. He wants to make sure he’s getting the facts right about his boyfriend- _sigh_. Finally, he gets to the chapter about vampire transformation. He admits, he’s a little curious about it, has been for a while since he found out Yuzu was turned.

“Obviously vampire bites won’t turn you, but,” Javi starts, treading very carefully. There are so many things about this part of Yuzu’s life that he knows are strictly off limits. “If that’s the case, then how do you become a vampire?”

“Two ways,” Yuzu holds up two fingers, keeping himself busy by reorganizing his little display, “a witch curses you or another vampire turns you themselves.”

“How does that happen? How does another vampire turn a human?”

“It’s a three step process, a very painful one.”

Javi watches as Yuzu falters, pausing in his rearranging. _Touchy subject, then_ , Javi concludes. Still, Yuzu continues on.

“Bites start off the process. It takes a lot of venom to trigger the change. Most people don’t survive it because it’s so excruciating. It takes a full day for the venom to settle. It's absolute agony. It feels like your skin is melting right off your bones, like you're being scorched alive.” Yuzu shudders, wincing as he places a book down. “Phase two, if you survive the venom, requires you to drink vampire blood.”

“What’s that like?”

“Absolutely awful,” Yuzu scrunches up his nose in distaste, “it’s foul.  Vampire blood contains magic like all supernatural folk do. Naturally, drinking it affects humans in different ways  and when you’re human, drinking vampire blood makes you feel like you’ve just taken about ten of those eight-hour energy drinks."

“That sounds really intense.”

“Lastly,” Yuzu trails off for a moment, grimacing again again. 

Yuzu stops, closes his eyes for a moment, seemingly trying to gather himself together. Javi thinks about stopping Yuzu from going on. It’s obviously not something that brings out very pleasant memories.

“Lastly,” Yuzu exhales, loudly, “you enter the transition stage. You have to drink human blood.”

_Oh._

“You don’t really have much of a choice, either. When you first wake up, it feels like you’ve jumped into a body of a stranger. Nothing feels right. Everything is amplified. And the hunger,” Yuzu shudders, “it feels like it’ll consume you.”

Javi puts the last book away and moves to take Yuzu’s hands in his. Yuzu hasn’t said anything further but Javi sees the faraway look in his eyes. He knows Yuzu’s remembering something horrible. He knows that Yuzu's past often terrorizes him in the night from time to time. It’s not possible, but Javi wishes he could somehow protect Yuzu from them, wishes he could fight every single one of the demons that haunt Yuzu. 

“Hey,” Javi rubs Yuzu’s hands, drawing little soothing circles on the backs of them, “I’m sorry for bringing it up. We don’t have to talk about it anymore.”

“It’s fine. You’re curious. It’s understandable.”

Yuzu lowers his head, eyes fixated on their joined hands. Javi doesn’t try to get him to look up, allows Yuzu to gather himself together while he waits. 

“I didn’t mean to bring up any unwanted memories.”

“It’s just...when I woke up,” Yuzu’s voice catches, slightly, “when I woke up, I felt so hungry, so thirsty. I was so terrified of this awful, gnawing hunger I felt inside. I felt like there was this hole there, this void. It was so painful. My sire didn’t make it any easier. He-”

Yuzu chokes on his words. Javi let’s go of Yuzu’s hands, instead drawing Yuzu in to embrace him. He feels Yuzu’s fingers curl into his shirt. Javi holds him tighter as he trembles. He idly wonders if it’s possible for vampires to cry. No tears fall from Yuzu’s eyes, but he does take a while to calm down. Javi holds him through it, rubbing his back, gently.

“I’m sorry you had to go through all of that. I’m so sorry your sire was such an asshole.” Javi murmurs into Yuzu’s hair.

“I thought I was over it by now. It’s been so long-”

“Hey, it’s perfectly okay to still be upset over it. You have every right to. I’m sorry for asking about it. Yuzu, you have to know, if you don’t feel ready to talk about things like this, just tell me. I understand.”

“I know,” Yuzu buries his face in Javi’s neck, “I wanted to, though. I can’t tell you everything just yet but I’d like for you to know more about me.”

Javi’s heart stutters in his chest. It feels like such a huge thing whenever Yuzu reveals anything about himself. Truthfully, Javi knows that going into a relationship with dark secrets generally isn’t the best thing, but he supposes there are exceptions. Especially when you have an obviously very traumatized vampire boyfriend still evidently working through that trauma, despite how strong and collected he appears. That Yuzu trusts him with this at all, that he wants to open himself up more like this, makes Javi’s insides twist. With every piece of new information, Javi cherishes him more, respects him more, and understands him just a little more, too. 

“Okay?” Javi asks as Yuzu lifts his head, looking a little less haunted now. 

“I’m okay. Thanks.”

Javi nods and leans forward to kiss Yuzu’s forehead. Yuzu makes a small noise, a cross between a squeak and squeal. Javi finds it unbearably cute so he does it again just to hear more of those adorable sounds. Yuzu whines, going back to hiding his face in Javi’s neck, lightly smacking Javi’s chest. 

“You are just the cutest thing,” Javi nuzzles at Yuzu’s hairline. 

Yuzu tends to get embarrassed easily, gets flustered over the simplest gestures of affection, and Javi can’t help but be even more smitten. For all the confidence that Yuzu’s displays most of the time, a simple cheek kiss reduces him to a blushing mess. Distressed cat noises included. 

“We’ve been over this, I’m a vampire!” Yuzu pulls away to glare at him. “I’m not cute!” 

“You are actually the cutest and I will fight you on this. You’re a fluffy kitten, deal with it.”

“Fluffy kitten, huh?” Something flashes in Yuzu’s eyes. 

Javi swallows, feels a chill go down his spine. Faster than Javi can process,  Yuzu’s grabbing him by the waist, spinning him around, and pinning him against one of the book shelves. The action knocks the air out of Javi’s lungs. The way Yuzu’s glaring at him now, pretty much also feels like a blow to the chest. He gasps as Yuzu presses closer, then grabs Javi’s hands, pinning them beside his head. Yuzu shakes his head, his bangs falling into his eyes. A hint of red swirls in those dark eyes of his and Javi wonders if Yuzu can consciously change his eye color. It doesn’t matter, though, not when Yuzu is looking at Javi like he wants to devour him. 

Javi would very much not mind it. 

Yuzu leans in to press his lips to the base of Javi’s throat. Javi let’s out a strangled moan as those lips trail upwards then stop at his ear. Yuzu lets go of one of Javi’s wrists and instead, tangles his fingers in Javi’s hair before tilting his head back slightly, exposing more of his neck. Javi feels Yuzu smirk against him. “Am I fluffy kitty now?” Yuzu’s low voice sends shivers down Javi’s spine. 

“M-more like a lion, actually. Or panther.” 

Yuzu snorts, presses a quick kiss to Javi’s neck before pulling away. “Dork.”

Javi manages a shaky smile, trying to keep in control. He feels his blood boiling beneath his skin, can feel the heat rising. He takes a couple of steadying breaths as Yuzu goes back to his organizing, cheeks pleasantly flushed. Javi’s hands shake, aching to reach out for him, to caress his fingers against those rosy cheeks, to-he pulls a full stop. 

“Well, I think that’s about it.” Yuzu steps away to admire his display of Halloween books. “Ready to go?”

“Uh, yeah, yeah, let’s go.” Javi helps Yuzu lock up the store, using the opportunity to cool off a little. 

By the time they’re done, Javi’s in a much calmer state of mind. He takes Yuzu’s hand in his as they’re leaving the store, and relishes the way Yuzu curls his fingers shyly around his. Just having Yuzu by his side, giggling as Javi swings their arms back and forth, is enough. His heart feels full and that’s all that matters. 

 

 

Javi gets ushered into the house by Keiji as soon as they enter, leaving no room for protest as Keiji quite literally pushes Javi into the kitchen to join them for dinner. Ever since they announced the current status of their relationship, Keiji had been over the moon. He had even thrown them a celebratory dinner. Now, every night feels like a celebratory dinner whenever Javi’s around. 

Keiji seems to have at least dialed it down a notch with the full-on feasts. Tonight seems to be more of a simple dinner. Smoked salmon, salad, buttered clams, and steaming white rice. Javi’s stomach grumbles as he sits at the table. Yuzu giggles, pats Javi’s stomach and starts making his plate for him. Javi smiles at him in appreciation as he sets the plate down. 

As he looks across the table, he notices a certain tension lingering around Shoma and Jason. He elbows Yuzu’s under the table discreetly and nods subtly at the pair. Yuzu glances over, brows furrowing at how quiet Shoma seems to be. Jason just looks stressed. 

“Is everything okay?” Yuzu asks, slowly, taking a bite of rice. 

“Jason has to go back to the pack tomorrow.” Shoma says, jaw clenched and scowl forming on his face. “Apparently, he’s needed for damage control.”

“What’s happened now?”

“The new wolf,” Jason sighs, setting his chopsticks down to rub at his temples, “he’s challenged Nathan for Alpha.”

Keiji and Yuzu drop their chopsticks, simultaneously. Javi pauses, too, feeling the tension steadily rise in the kitchen. He doesn’t know anything about werewolf politics. Yuzu doesn’t seem all that interested in them either but by the way they’re all reacting, Javi can at least guess that this isn’t good. 

“He did what?” Keiji gapes. 

“He wants to challenge Nathan. Thinks he can lead better or something.”

“And I told him that he should let me go with him,” Shoma stabs at his salmon, violently, “if I go, I can at least put the pup in his place.”

“And while the thought is highly entertaining, it would probably just make things worse.”

“What does Nathan think about all of this?” 

“He thinks it’s ridiculous. But we’re a big pack, there are voices that tend to be louder than others that are encouraging Vincent and it’s not looking good. If Nathan backs down, he’ll look like a coward and many will rebel against him.”

“Why aren’t you Alpha, Jason?” Javi interjects without thinking. He doesn’t quite get it. Jason seems to be level-headed, strong enough to lead. 

“Oh, no.” Jason shakes his head. “That’s not for me. I’m content just hanging out in the back. Alpha has to deal with too much politics and that’s just a headache I don’t want. Plus, if I was, I wouldn’t be able to be here at all.”

“Alphas are kind of slaves to their pack,” Yuzu explains, “they lead, yes, but the responsibility they carry as Alpha is a lot. They can’t be as free as normal wolves. Jason’s able to break off from the pack because he doesn’t have that chain holding him back.”

“Makes sense.”

“Yeah, I’ll try to make it back for Halloween,” Jason resumes eating, “I’m gonna really need that date.”

Shoma puffs out his cheeks, pouting as he moves around his food. “I still wish I could go with you. Who’s gonna give me cuddles when you’re away?”

Yuzu scoffs. 

“At least I get a break from the constant banging and moaning,” Keiji mutters under his breath, “I can finally sleep at night.”

“Hey!” Shoma protests.

“Walls are thin, Sho. And my room is right next to yours. I hear and feel it every time the bed slams into the wall.”

Javi chokes on his food, covering his mouth as he laughs. Yuzu pats his back, hiding a smirk of his own behind his glass of water. The tension dissipates somewhat, allowing for the rest of dinner to be a much lighter affair than it had been before. Javi feels warmth spread in his chest. It’s a wonderful feeling to be a part of something like this, to feel a sense of family, of belonging. Right now-though it may be bold to say just yet-Javi thinks that his place has been and always will be right here. Next to Yuzu. 

* * *

Yuzu sighs as stares at himself in the mirror. Truthfully, this isn’t something he’d normally do. He’s never been the type of do this sort of thing. And yet here he is, standing in front of his mirror, dressed head to toe in black, fluffy black cat ears on his head, a black leather collar complete with a tiny bell around his neck, and matching tail that clips onto the back of his pants. Keiji picked out everything. Yuzu had been perfectly content to just go in his all blacks. But no, no he has to be dressed up for the occasion and Javi would appreciate it. 

_Damn it, Javi._

Yuzu adjusts the hair around the headband, hiding the band to make the ears look a little more authentic. If he’s going out in public looking like a cat, he might as well commit to it. He has no idea what Javi plans on wearing, if he was serious about the whole _Twilight_ thing. When he gets downstairs, Shoma and Keiji are waiting at the bottom for him. Shoma’s dressed in a silk black shirt, black pants, and red hood. Yuzu resist the urge to roll his eyes. 

“Little Red Riding Hood?” Yuzu raises a brow and tries not to grimace at the way the bell on his collar jingles with each step. “Seriously? Is Jason going as the Big Bad Wolf?” 

“Don’t be jealous just because we have cute couple costumes.” Shoma sticks his tongue out at him.

This time, Yuzu does roll his eyes. 

Keiji skirts around Shoma to get to Yuzu. Yuzu stays still as Keiji fixes his hair and adjusts the headband. He tucks stubborn tufts of hair behind Yuzu’s ears and steps back, clicking his tongue. “I should’ve got you the clip on ears on instead.”

“I can’t believe you got these for me at all.”

“Shush, you look cute and Javi will be pleased.” Keiji grins, looking absolutely proud of himself for a job well-done.

As if on cue, the doorbell rings and Shoma goes to let Javi in. Yuzu holds his breath as Javi walks through the door. He stops, eyes going wide as he stares at Yuzu. Yuzu takes in Javi’s costume, which he just _knows_ Keiji had a hand in creating. Javi’s dressed in a dark purple silk dress shirt, black waistcoat, covered by a fancy coat that falls just beneath Javi’s knees, and black leather boots. A pentagram necklace hangs from a thick black chord around his neck. His fingers are adorned with rings, one with a red ruby on it, another with a rose, and a couple of intricately woven silver bands. That’s not what causes Yuzu to lose his breath though. No, it’s Javi’s eyes which are lined with dark kohl that only emphasize Javi’s beautiful, long, curling eyelashes.

“A witch,” Yuzu swallows thickly, “you made him a witch.”

“Yes! Doesn’t he look stunning?” Keiji beams. 

As if drawn by a magnet, Yuzu steps closer to Javi, closing the distance between them. Shakily, he reaches out to touch Javi’s cheeks, rubs his thumbs just below Javi’s eyes, careful not to ruin the makeup. “Stunning,” Yuzu whispers in agreement.

Javi hasn’t said anything yet. But his eyes are dark, desire burning so clearly in those gorgeous eyes of his. Yuzu stays perfectly still as Javi lifts a hand to touch the collar, trailing his finger along the edges of it, and pulls just slightly. Yuzu inhales sharply and Javi’s eyes flicker up to his. He flicks at the bell once, before a gentle smile appears on his face. Yuzu relaxes as a result, melting into Javi’s touch as he raises his hands to cup Yuzu’s face. “You look stunning, too.” Javi kisses Yuzu’s nose.

Yuzu scrunches up his face and Javi laughs. 

“Are we gonna go or are you two gonna fu—“ Keiji slaps a hand over Shoma’s mouth. 

“Yeah, let’s go.” Yuzu steps away from Javi but grabs his hand to tug him out the door. Shoma follows behind.

Keiji stops just at the doorway. “Have fun! Be safe!”

“Are you sure you don’t want to come with us, Keiji?” Javi asks. 

“Nah, someone’s gotta stay back to pass out candy to the little ones.” Keiji waves him off. “If anything, maybe I’ll come meet you later once things settle down. Enjoy your night!”

And that’s that. 

The three of them load up into Javi’s car. Yuzu glances back at Shoma through the sideview mirror as he sits, eyes glued to his phone, fingers flying rapidly over the keys. “Jason on his way?” He asks. 

“Yeah,” Shoma nods, putting his phone in his pocket, “he’s on his way. Things haven’t been fully dealt with yet but at the very least they managed to convince Vincent to take back his challenge.”

“That’s good,” Yuzu nods, “less blood spilt.”

 

After a short car ride, Javi pulls into the parking lot for the fair. They’d gone ahead and made use of the large park, setting up booths, a ferris wheel, a couple of other rides, and a small stage for live entertainment. Celebration is in full swing. Loud music blasts from speakers all around, people in costumes laugh, converse, and joke around near booths with food and games. Yuzu presses close to Javi’s side, keeping away from the rambunctious crowd as much as possible. Javi wraps an arm around his waist, fingers squeezing lightly. 

They squeeze their way through the crowd until they manage to come to an open area where picnic tables are set up. Yuzu releases the breath he didn’t even know he was holding as they sit down. “You okay?” Javi rubs his shoulders.

“Fine,” Yuzu smiles, slightly, “just need to get used to the crowd is all.”

“Jason!” Shoma suddenly shoots up from his seat, staring behind them. Yuzu turns to see Jason walking towards them, dressed in a ripped flannel shirt, jeans, wolf ears and tail. 

Shoma scrambles off his seat and makes a beeline for Jason. Javi laughs beside Yuzu as Shoma tackles Jason to the ground. Yuzu shakes his head at their antics. They roll around on the grass for a few moments before Jason stands, tugging Shoma up with him. Shoma pats him on the head, looking much brighter than he’d been these past few weeks. 

“So, shall we hit the games and rides first or eat?” Jason asks, keeping an arm wrapped around Shoma’s shoulders. 

“Rides and games, maybe? That way Yuzu doesn’t have an excuse to pass on rides.” Shoma smirks. 

Yuzu flips him off in response. 

“Don’t worry, I’ll make sure he’s an active participant tonight.” Javi loops his arm around Yuzu. 

Javi ends up keeping his promise. They hit the games first, the typical fair games that include throwing darts at balloons or balls at cheap glass plates, ring toss games, skee-ball, and ping pong games. Javi’s really good at darts, much to Yuzu’s surprise as he watches Javi hit balloon after balloon. “Go ahead and pick a prize, sir.” The attendant gestures to a line of plush toys hanging from the top of the booth. 

Javi ends up picking out a Halloween themed Winnie-The-Pooh wearing a witch hat. “For you,” Javi presents it to Yuzu.

Yuzu blushes as he takes it from Javi. It’s soft to the touch and feels a good level of squishy. Yuzu squeezes Pooh’s nose and smiles. “Thanks.”

Javi touches Yuzu’s cheek briefly and pulls him along as Jason and Shoma stay behind, struggling to hit balloons. As the night goes on, the more prizes Yuzu and Javi collect. They’ve won each other at least three prizes each and Yuzu feels just a little bit smug knowing he won the biggest plush toy of the night, a huge black cat plush that’s about half the size of Yuzu’s body. They decide to put all their prizes back in the car for safe keeping.

Later, they reconvene with Jason and Shoma for dinner. Yuzu’s not one for fair food, so he ends up splitting some pizza with Javi. Shoma and Jason are content with their large bag of pink cotton candy. Between the two of them and Shoma’s sweet tooth, they end up finishing the entire bag. “What should we do now?” Jason throws a casual arm around Shoma.

“Well, we haven’t gone in that Haunted Maze, yet.” Shoma nods at the makeshift maze near the back of the park. It’s fairly large in size, taking up a good section of the park. 

With the plan set, they slowly make their way to the maze. Yuzu grimaces as they get closer, hearing the loud shrieks and screams coming from inside. A couple catches his eye as they wait in line. The pair clutch onto each other firmly, keeping each other close. Unconsciously, he moves closer to Javi. Javi curls an arm around him, rubs his hand up and down Yuzu’s arm in a soothing motion. “Don’t worry,” Javi leans down to whisper, “I’ll protect you.”

Warmth spreads in Yuzu’s chest, in his cheeks, to the tips of his ears. It’s a sweet sentiment. Javi thinking Yuzu needs any protection from fake actors in a Haunted Maze.Yuzu’s not scared by any means, but when he looks up at Javi, sees the genuine sincerity in his eyes, Yuzu finds it difficult to refuse. Instead, he hugs Javi’s arm tighter and gives a small nod. 

The costuming really isn’t that great, but Yuzu supposes everything will pale in comparison to the real thing. Still, he jumps, staggers back, and yelps when the actors jump out at him. Javi holds him tighter as a result, whispering words of comfort as they go through the maze. Despite not needing it, Yuzu _does_ feel protected. Towards the end, Yuzu decides to play it up, because why not.

The last scare actor jumps out at him, wielding a chainsaw and Yuzu shrieks, leaping straight into Javi’s arms. Javi laughs in surprise as he catches him, scooting around the chainsaw dude to get to the outside. Yuzu keeps his face hidden in Javi’s chest, feeling his cheeks absolutely burning in embarrassment. 

_I can’t believe I just did that_ …

Javi keeps him held comfortably in his arms, looking down to grin at him, a sparkle in his eye. “You okay there?” 

“Fine!” Yuzu squeaks.

“You’re a badass vampire, yet haunted mazes get to you?” 

“Don’t judge me! I’m not good with jump scares!” Yuzu pouts. 

“You’re ridiculous,” Javi sets him back down on the grass and fixes Yuzu’s headband that went a little askew. He frames Yuzu's face in his hands, gently, fond smile in place, “but I still lo—“

Jason and Shoma come stumbling out of the haunted maze, laughing and Yuzu’s pretty sure they’re making fun of it all. Honestly, Yuzu would be right there with them but he doesn’t want to break the illusion. Not when Javi seems to have enjoyed himself. 

“Had fun?” Javi smiles as they approach them.

“Oh, we had a blast! Shoma totally scared the crap out of that poor guy pretending to be a vampire.” 

Yuzu rolls his eyes. He knows which one. The horribly dressed one with gaudy Victorian clothes, a white painted face, fake plastic fangs, and fake blood. 

“The dude popped out of the coffin growling and all, but Shoma turned on the true vamp intimidation and the guy _screamed_. Hopped right back into the coffin.” Jason slaps his thigh, laughing all the while.

“I felt a little bad afterwards,” Shoma shrugs, a mischievous grin still evident on his face, “maybe I should compel him to forget? Wouldn’t want him to have nightmares.”

Yuzu scoffs, “Knowing you, if you don’t compel him, he’ll have nightmares for the rest of his life.” 

“I’m surprised you didn’t do it yourself. Considering you—“ Yuzu shoots him a look, which thankfully shuts Shoma up. 

Shoma raises a brow but says nothing further. Yuzu waves him off. He’ll tell him later. Once the night is over. Right now, Javi is still wearing a bright grin, still looking at Yuzu with a look so fond and satisfied that Yuzu wants to keep this. 

They ride a couple of rides there, nothing too thrilling, but enough to get the adrenaline going. Yuzu feels more alive now, can feel this steady electrical current buzzing beneath his skin that intensifies whenever Javi brushes against him or touches him. He feels this as they load onto the ferris wheel. Shoma and Jason opted to take a separate car, wanting some alone time, leaving Yuzu and Javi to ride one of their own. 

The ferris wheel is slow moving, slower than most, but Yuzu is content enough to just sit here, snuggled close against Javi’s side. “Still shaken from the maze?” Javi murmurs into his hair.

Yuzu closes his eyes, leaning his head on Javi’s shoulder. “No, you just feel really warm.”

And Javi does. He is warm. Yuzu can feel the heat of him even through all the layers he’s wearing. He shivers as Javi presses light kisses on top the crown of his head. Despite the snail place, seemingly all too soon, the ride comes to end and they have to get off. 

Jason and Shoma decide to branch off again. With the festivities coming to a close, it makes for the perfect time to go compel the poor human Shoma traumatized. Yuzu and Javi go back to the car on their own. They sit on top the hood of Javi’s car, gazing up at the night sky. The lights from the fair are too blinding to see the stars, but the moon hangs brightly in the sky, not quite full. Javi laces his fingers with Yuzu’s, “Had fun tonight?”

“I did,” Yuzu smiles, softly, “thank you for tonight.”

“I’m just glad you had fun. Bummer that Keiji couldn’t meet us.”

“Knowing Keiji, he’s probably happy to have the house to himself. He’s probably sitting on the couch right now binging on Netflix.”

Javi chuckles. 

“Did you have fun tonight?” Yuzu asks, a little shyly, his head ducked low, bangs falling into his eyes.

“The most fun on a date I’ve ever had.” 

“You’re totally exaggerating.”

“I am definitely not,” Javi mocks offense, raising his free hand to his chest, “I have had the most fun with you on all of our dates and even our not-really dates before.”

“Sap.” Yuzu bumps Javi’s shoulder with his own.

“You know,” Javi’s voice goes quiet, vulnerable. There’s a seriousness in his eyes now, though the spark remains ever bright in them, “when I’m with you, I feel the most alive I’ve ever been.”

Yuzu bites his lip as Javi raises their joined hands to kiss Yuzu’s knuckles, lips skimming over the sensitive skin there. 

“This may be cheesy, but I just feel…right, when I’m with you. I feel complete. Like all this time I’ve been missing this puzzle piece in my life. When I'm with you, you seem to fit so perfectly.” 

Yuzu’s eyes flutter as Javi presses delicate kisses to the insides of his wrist. He inhales sharply when Javi takes his hand to place over his beating heart. Yuzu’s stomach clenches almost painfully as the heartbeat beneath his palm increases. Yuzu’s own heart feels like it’s beating too fast, like a hummingbird’s wings. He wonders if Javi can hear it, if he knows the feelings and emotions he manages to evoke from him. 

It’s overwhelming.

His breath gets trapped somewhere between his chest and throat, puts a heavy pressure in his lungs as Javi leans in, his nose brushing against Yuzu’s. Up close like this, Yuzu can almost count Javi’s eyelashes. Like two magnets attracting each other, they move together as one, breath intermingling as Javi’s eyes flutter close. Yuzu forces himself to keep in control even though he can feel something rising up inside of him, a startling hunger that takes him by surprise. It crashes into him like waves, urging him to move forward, close the gap, steal Javi’s heat for himself. 

The sensation of Javi’s lips lightly skimming against his sends a shockwave that he feels all the way down to his toes. There’s an almost violent tremor that tears through him, makes his muscles coil, and something inside of him ache. He’s vaguely aware of Javi’s fingers tangling in his hair, barely aware of his own pressing into Javi’s shoulder. 

Fire courses through Yuzu’s veins, threatening to ignite him from the inside out. Suddenly, everything is too much. Javi’s scent, his breath, his frantically beating heart. Yuzu can feel it, the way Javi’s blood calls to him. Javi's just moving forward to full close the gap between them when Yuzu feels an icy chill shoot up his spine that has him recoiling. A growl rumbles in his chest faster than he can stop it, his body is moving before he can make himself still. Suddenly, he’s in front of Javi, eyes scanning all around them for whatever it was that set off his instincts. 

The hairs at the back of his neck stand on end, skin prickling. A threat. He doesn’t find anything out of the ordinary, but he can’t quite shake the feeling off. He nearly jumps out of his skin when Javi tentatively reaches for him, fingers brushing against his arm. “Are you okay?” Javi asks, brows knit together in concern. 

“Yeah,” Yuzu nods, hesitantly. Truthfully, he doesn’t know. He doesn’t know what set him off. 

Shoma and Jason eventually return. Shoma takes one look at Yuzu and opens his mouth to say something. Yuzu shakes his head. They load up into the car, the once light atmosphere suddenly heavy now. Javi reaches over wordlessly to grasp Yuzu’s hand in his. He doesn't talk about what happened at the fair, which Yuzu is grateful for. He doesn't really understand it himself. There's a lot to unpack of everything that _almost_ happened and well, whatever shattered the peace. Whatever happened back then, whatever it was that triggered his instincts to go off, leaves Yuzu feeling greatly unsettled. 


End file.
